Samples of rare earth-bearing mud extracted from the seabed around Minamitorishima island in February are examined. | JAMSTEC / via JIJI Japan's government is taking on the challenge of mining critical minerals, including rare earths, from the seabed around Minamitorishima, a remote Japanese island in the Pacific, with an eye to realizing domestic rare earth production in the future. Securing such minerals is a matter of vital importance for Japan, which is poor in natural resources. In February of this year, the country succeeded in a test collection of rare earth-bearing mud at a depth of 6,000 meters below sea level near the island, which is in the Tokyo village of Ogasawara. While commercialization is being targeted for 2028 at the earliest, the government faces the challenge of striking a balance between the importance of the mining for economic security and its economic viability. In a time of both misinformation and too much information, quality journalism is more crucial than ever.…