2010年，日本约90%的稀土依赖中国进口，中国突然切断出口几乎使日本生产线停摆，迫使东京让步，也让日本痛苦地认识到中国在短期内掌握着主导权。作为回应，日本批准了规模约1000亿日元（约合12亿美元）的追加预算，并在大约十年间将自中国进口稀土的占比削减三分之一至约60%，但对华高度依赖依然存在。

东京的多元化战略包括寻找替代供应国、减少用量和建立库存，但所需稀土元素种类繁多，使推进速度缓慢。日本企业入股澳大利亚稀土公司Lynas以获取“轻”稀土，但首批“重”稀土直到今年10月才运抵日本，而且矿石主要在马来西亚冶炼，整个过程成本高昂、周期漫长且对环境破坏严重。

2020年至2024年间，从马来西亚进口到日本的稀土平均价格比中国产品高出约50%，这种溢价也许军工企业愿意承担，但大多数消费品制造商难以接受。随着需求增长快于非中国供应扩张，日本对中国的依赖再度回升至约70%，即便北京暂缓动用稀土这一武器，其在定价和胁迫方面仍握有巨大权力，因此任何未来的断供将不再像从悬崖坠落，而更像被汽车撞击——同样严重，却稍微更有生还余地。

I need to focus on extracting numerical data like ratios and trends reflecting costs and changes over time, such as 90%, 60%, and 70%. It's crucial to mention figures such as ¥100bn ($1.2bn) and span decades like 2010 to 2024.

Now, I’m aiming to provide the summary in both English and Chinese. While there’s some conflict in system requirements about translation order, I think I can just ensure both entries reflect the same facts, regardless of phrasing. Lastly, I need to make sure there are six paragraphs, separated by blank lines.

I'm looking at the difficulties surrounding rare earth elements, particularly the variety involved and factors like investment from Lynas in Malaysia. Heavy rare earths have only been processed recently, and refining is costly while also posing environmental concerns.

Source: Lessons from Japan’s efforts to wean itself off Chinese rare earths

Subtitle: Numbers one, two and three: it’s a lot harder than it sounds

Dateline: 12月 04, 2025 04:50 上午