The United States and Japan signed an agreement on Tuesday to secure the supply of critical minerals and rare earths, the White House announced during President Donald Trump’s visit to Tokyo. The deal aims to strengthen both countries’ resilience and security in critical mineral and rare earth supply chains, as China tightens its export controls. According to the statement, the US and Japan will jointly identify key projects to fill supply chain gaps for materials like permanent magnets, batteries, catalysts, and optical components. Both governments plan to involve private sector investment to support these initiatives. China recently imposed new restrictions on its rare earth industry, prompting Trump to threaten 100% tariffs on Chinese imports. Earlier in his Asia tour, Trump also signed a trade pact with Malaysia to expand US access to critical minerals.
