Photograph by Jacob Kepler — Bloomberg via Getty Images
每天我們都會用到含有稀土的產品。稀土中有17種元素，而且正如其名，它們都非常罕見。用稀土制造的常見用品包括可充電電池、LED燈和顯示屏以及風輪機等大型設備。
如今，日本在其領海發現了稀土礦，估算儲量為1600萬噸。研究人員稱，這一寶藏或許可以“半無限”地滿足整個世界對釔和銪等金屬的需求。
《自然》周刊4月10日發表的研究報告稱，該稀土礦位于日本小島南鳥島周邊的深海中，距東京約1150英里（1851.5公里）。
鑒于礦藏幾乎在水下4英里（6.44公里）處，開采是個問題。但研究結果公布后，相關公司的股價大幅上漲。從那時算起，海洋鉆井公司日本海洋掘削（Japan Drilling）已上揚13%，離岸浮動平臺制造和運營商Modec的股價也上升了5%。
《華爾街日報》引述負責此項研究的早稻田大學教授高谷雄太郎的話報道：“考慮到中國控制價格的情況，保障我們自己的資源供應很重要。”
東京國際基督教大學副教授史蒂芬·納吉對《南華早報》表示：“這些金屬對今后幾代的技術而言很關鍵，日本通過立即找到新資源，包括跟蒙古合作，目的是確保資源供應并保持日本的科技優勢。”（財富中文網）
譯者：Charlie
[新聞原文]
Every day, we use products that are built using “rare earths”—a group of 17 elements that are, as the name suggests, very rare. They’re used to make everyday items such as rechargeable batteries, LED lights and display panels, as well as larger products such as wind turbines.
Now, it turns out, Japan has an estimated 16 million tons of the stuff on its turf. And researchers claim the trove might be enough to supply the world with metals such as yttrium and europium on a “semi-infinite basis.”
According to research published in Nature on April 10, the new stash of rare earths is located in deep-sea mud off the tiny island of Minamitori, some 1,150 miles southeast of Tokyo in the north Pacific.
Getting at the resources will be an issue, given that they’re almost four miles underwater. However, after the research came out, shares in relevant companies soared. Since then, Japan Drilling is up 13% and Modec , a Japanese supplier and operator of offshore floating platforms, is up 5%.
“It is important to secure our own source of resources, given how China controls the prices,” said Yutaro Takaya, the Waseda University professor who led the study, as quoted by the Wall Street Journal.
“These elements are critical for future generations of technology and Tokyo responded [to China’s 2010 actions] by immediately seeking out new sources, including Mongolia, in order to secure shipments and maintain Japan’s technological edge,” Stephen Nagy of Tokyo’s International Christian University told the South China Morning Post.
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