4 d. ago Bessent, allies discuss diversifying rare earth supply chains away from China

Bessent, allies discuss diversifying rare earth supply chains away from China  Seeking Alpha

Politics

5 d. ago Japan firms seen ‘stockpiling’ rare earths as Tokyo looks to G7 in face of China controls

Fears of China choking off exports of critical minerals to Japan amid a deepening political dispute have set off industry alarms and prompted Tokyo to elevate the issue at a G7 gathering of finance ministers this week, despite Beijing’s assurances that civilian trade would be spared. Japanese Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama said last week that she would attend the Group of Seven event in Washington on Monday with the “risk of a rare-earth-supply interruption from China in mind”, the...

Politics

5 d. ago Japan launches world’s first deep sea trial to secure own rare earth supply

A Japanese mining ship departed on Monday for a remote coral atoll to probe mud rich in rare earths, part of Tokyo’s drive to curb its reliance on China for critical minerals as Beijing tightens supply. The month-long mission of the test vessel Chikyu near Minamitori island some 1,900km (1,200 miles) southeast of Tokyo, will mark the world’s first attempt to continuously lift rare earth seabed sludge from 6km deep onto a ship. Japan, like its Western allies, has been reducing its dependence on...

Politics

5 d. ago Japan launches world’s first mission to lift rare earth from deep sea

Japan launches world’s first mission to lift rare earth from deep sea  South China Morning Post

Events

9 d. ago Japan zoo makes workers mimic pandas after returning all 4 to China, launches club for fans

A zoo in Japan has allowed its staff to mimic pandas in memory of its last four bears which have been returned to China. The unusual caged activity has been seen as an attempt to continue engaging panda lovers. In June last year, four pandas, the 24-year-old Rauhin and her offspring, Yuihin, Saihin and Fuhin, were returned to China from the Adventure World amusement park in Japan’s Wakayama prefecture. It marks the end of the park’s 31-year history of keeping pandas. Rauhin was also the first...

Society

1 week ago China Launches Chip Material Probe as Export Curbs on Japan Take Effect

China Launches Chip Material Probe as Export Curbs on Japan Take Effect  Yahoo Finance

Politics

2 w. ago How Japan’s space industry can regain thrust after H3 rocket failure

Japan’s latest rocket failure has triggered much soul-searching and resurrected a debate about whether the country’s space programme, long defined by caution and incremental progress, is equipped for a market that now rewards speed, repetition and a tolerance for failure. On Monday, the domestically built H3 rocket, Japan’s new flagship launcher, failed, costing the country a satellite and drawing sharp criticism from the Japanese media. Local media called the incident a “significant setback” to...

Events

3 w. ago Deceiving US experts; proving Einstein wrong: 10 China science breakthroughs in 2025

Catch up on some of SCMP’s biggest China science stories of the year. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing. 1. China unveils a powerful deep-sea cable cutter that could reset the world order A compact, deep-sea, cable-cutting device, capable of severing the world’s most fortified underwater communication or power lines, has been unveiled by China – and it could shake up global maritime power dynamics. 2. China tests non-nuclear hydrogen bomb, science paper...

Politics

3 w. ago Vietnam’s To Lam may secure dual role as party and state head in rare move

Vietnam’s Communist Party will nominate current General Secretary To Lam to stay in the top job, according to people familiar with the matter, paving the way for him to push on with a reform programme that is reshaping the nation. In a rare and politically significant move, Lam will also be put forward to hold the dual role of the nation’s presidency, the people said, asking not to be identified because they are not authorised to speak publicly. This could face a challenge when it gets to the...

Politics

3 w. ago Trump at ‘risk of becoming the deep state’ after Epstein file omissions

Extensive redactions and the limited number of documents released related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein angered some Republicans and did little to defuse a scandal threatening the party ahead of the 2026 midterm election. The Trump administration touted this week’s release of a cache of Epstein-related files as a show of transparency, but a handful of Republican lawmakers and right-wing media figures joined Democrats in blasting Friday’s disclosures as inadequate and possibly in...

Events