Japan and the European Union are preparing to launch a joint public-private initiative aimed at reducing their dependency on China for rare earths and other critical minerals, the Nikkei reported on Thursday. The move comes amid increasing global concern over China’s tightening export controls on rare earth alloys, mixtures, and magnets—materials vital for producing electric vehicles, electronics, and defense technologies.
As part of this new strategy, Japan and the EU will unveil an “economic two-plus-two” dialogue at the upcoming Japan-EU leaders’ summit on July 23. The framework will bring together foreign and economy ministers from both sides and mark the beginning of a coordinated effort to secure diversified, resilient supply chains for critical raw materials.
The discussions are expected to identify concrete areas for cooperation starting this summer. These may include joint development of rare earth supply infrastructure, simplified EU regulatory access for Japanese firms, and increased Japanese participation in EU strategic mineral projects.
The framework will also feature Stephane Sejourne, the European Commission’s executive vice president for prosperity and industrial strategy, who is expected to play a central role in industrial coordination.
The move follows similar actions by other global powers: earlier this month, the U.S. Department of Defense became the largest shareholder in MP Materials through a multibillion-dollar investment aimed at ramping up domestic rare earth production. Meanwhile, India is pursuing critical mineral supply deals with Chile and Peru.
With Beijing’s dominance of rare earth processing posing a potential threat to industrial and defense stability, Tokyo and Brussels are positioning themselves for long-term strategic autonomy in this increasingly competitive arena.
