Reported 11 months ago
According to a report by Kyodo News, a joint team from the University of Tokyo and a Japanese foundation announced on June 21 that the exclusive economic zone (EEZ) seabed of Torishima in the Ogasawara Islands contains over 200 million tons of manganese nodules with rare metals. Starting from 2025, they plan to conduct experimental mining with commercial purposes in collaboration with private companies. The nodules also contain cobalt and nickel, estimated to be over 230 million tons in total, with cobalt amounting to approximately 75 years of domestic consumption and nickel to about 11 years. Tokyo University Professor Yasuhiro Kato stated the importance of manganese nodules as vital resources for economic security, aiming to retrieve 3 million tons annually.
Source: YAHOO