目前中国约占全球稀土金属产量的70%。南鸟岛外海的稀土泥含有镝等元素（用于电动车马达磁体），且几乎不含放射性或其他有害物质，较易处理。日本海洋研究开发机构预计在1月与2月于南鸟岛专属经济区进行小规模试采，使用管线自海床抽取稀土泥与海水混合物。

2027年2月将进行全流程示范，目标每日回收350公吨稀土泥；由于船上无法处理，将运至南鸟岛以类似脱水机的设备去除海水，使体积约减少80%，再运回本州分离与精炼。日本在已通过的2025年度补充预算中，为SIP示范相关开发编列164亿日圆（约1.05亿美元），并需在距东京约1,950公里的地点解决电力、供水与人员住宿等基础设施限制；虽区域亦有热液矿床、富钴结壳与锰结核，但尚未商业化。

Japan plans to build a deep-sea rare-earth mud processing facility on Minamitorishima by 2027 to tap seabed resources about 6,000 meters deep and strengthen economic security by reducing reliance on external supply.

China accounts for about 70% of global rare-earth metal production. Mud off Minamitorishima contains rare earths such as dysprosium used in EV motor magnets, and it reportedly has virtually no radioactive or other harmful materials, making processing easier. In January and February, Japan’s marine science agency will run a test-mining trial in the surrounding EEZ using a research ship to recover a small amount via a pipe that lifts a mud-and-seawater mixture.

A full demonstration is planned for February 2027, targeting recovery of 350 metric tons of mud per day. The mud will be shipped to Minamitorishima for dewatering with a spin-dryer-like device that cuts volume by about 80%, then sent to mainland Japan for separation and refining. Japan allocated 16.4 billion yen (about $105 million) for the 2027 tests in a fiscal 2025 supplementary budget, and the remote site—about 1,950 km southeast of central Tokyo—faces infrastructure and living-facility constraints; other seabed resources exist nearby but have not commercialized due to profitability and environmental concerns.