TOKYO - Japan remains among the world’s leading nations in seabed resource development and should accelerate work to sharpen its technology, Democratic Party for the People upper house lawmaker Yoshihiko Yamada said, calling for broader ocean policy investment, stronger protection of sea lanes and a more active Japanese role in mine-clearing operations near the Strait of Hormuz.
Yamada, an oceanographer who chairs the party’s security research council, said he was "honestly pleased" that the Takaichi administration included ocean policy, shipbuilding and port facilities among its 17 strategic investment fields, but added that the content remains "weak" and needs to be made more concrete.
"Japan is still in the leading group in seabed resource development," Yamada said. "To further refine cutting-edge technology, Japan needs to keep advancing development."
He said the government should not stop at building a single vessel for seabed mining. A full fleet would be needed, including ships to support extraction, vessels to process and transport resources, and surveillance ships, all integrated with underwater drones and other unmanned systems. Yamada said Japan should pursue a comprehensive plan rather than treating seabed mining as a standalone project.
Yamada welcomed proposals from the ruling Liberal Democratic Party’s special committee on ocean development, including exploration and extraction of rare earth resources around Minamitorishima and stronger budget support for ocean development. But he said the country must move from research to practical commercialization if it is to preserve its technological edge.
Japan conducted trial extraction of rare earth elements from the seabed around Minamitorishima from January to February, a step Yamada described as important despite concerns over cost. He said Japan must first demonstrate that the materials can be extracted and said a plan for next year calls for a more sustained trial, with extraction of about 350 tons per day for around a week.
"When it becomes clear that resources can really be taken from the sea, technology development will advance," he said.
Yamada said the strategic significance of rare earths has grown since the concept of economic security took hold. Referring to past tensions with China over rare earth exports after the 2010 collision between a Chinese fishing boat and Japan Coast Guard vessels near the Senkaku Islands, he said Japan needs to be ready for a scenario in which supplies from China become unavailable.
He argued that Japan does not need to produce seabed rare earths at the same cost as China for them to be valuable. Even if rare earth materials for electric vehicle motors cost 20 or 30 times more than Chinese supplies, he said, the cost per vehicle would still be limited compared with the strategic benefit of secure supply.
Yamada also said seabed rare earths have environmental advantages because, unlike some land-based resources, they do not absorb or scatter radioactive materials during extraction and processing. He said Japan should not seek to monopolize the resources, but should work with allies and like-minded countries, including the United States and European partners, to secure supplies.
Japan has a relatively small land area, but its territorial waters and exclusive economic zone are often described as giving it the world’s sixth-largest maritime jurisdiction. Yamada said resources such as methane hydrate, manganese nodules and rare earth muds have long been discussed, but development has lagged because Japan traditionally used public funds for research and development while leaving commercialization to the private sector.
That approach is changing, he said, as the government increasingly treats energy and resource security as national policy. "It is very effective for Japan to actually extract materials and move toward commercialization in order to advance technology," he said.
Yamada said his party’s approach is "solutions rather than confrontation," and that it is prepared to cooperate with the ruling parties on ocean policy and security legislation when its proposals are reflected. He said the role of an opposition party should not be to oppose for the sake of opposition, but to present ideas and have them incorporated into final bills and policies.
On defense policy, Yamada said he broadly understands the direction of the Takaichi administration’s efforts to fundamentally strengthen defense capability, including reviews of defense production and arms equipment transfer rules. He said Japan should move ahead with equipment transfers, while seeking changes where necessary.
Asked how Japan should defend its vast maritime domain, stretching more than 3,000 kilometers from north to south and including remote islands such as Minamitorishima, Okinotorishima and Yonagunijima, Yamada said relying only on existing forces would be difficult. He pointed to space strategy, unmanned systems and intelligence capabilities as essential tools, saying Japan must move beyond physical equipment alone.
Yamada said nuclear-powered submarines would be desirable in principle for defending such a wide maritime area, but argued that they are not realistic for Japan in the near term. He cited Japan’s historical stance on nuclear energy, the Japan-U.S. nuclear agreement and the need to change domestic legal systems. Instead, he said Japan should improve the performance of its conventional submarines and invest in unmanned underwater systems.
He also noted the high cost of nuclear submarines, saying a conventional submarine is often said to cost around 100 billion yen while a nuclear-powered submarine could cost more than 1 trillion yen, with substantial additional management costs. He said Japan may achieve greater efficiency by deploying conventional submarines, missile defense systems and underwater drones.
Turning to the Middle East, Yamada said Japan’s most urgent interest is restoring and securing freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz, a vital route for crude oil imports. He said Japan should first work through legal frameworks, international law and international organizations to reaffirm the rules governing the strait.
With reports that mines may have been laid, Yamada said mine removal would be necessary to ensure safe navigation. "Japan is said to have the world’s top mine-clearing capability, so it should support removal as much as possible," he said. "To begin with, I think it would be acceptable to move mine sweepers as far as the Arabian Sea."
Yamada also stressed the importance of the Malacca Strait, saying many tankers carrying oil bound for Japan transfer cargo there before heading to Japan. He said Japan has long been involved in supporting safety in the strait, not only against armed groups but also through navigational safety measures such as maintaining maritime signs, improving routes and dredging.
He said the Japan Coast Guard’s role is also becoming increasingly important as foreign vessels and fishing boats enter waters near Japan. While the coast guard’s duties are expanding, he said, its personnel and budget are not increasing enough, making efficiency a key issue.
On defense equipment transfers, Yamada said providing used Japanese vessels or other equipment to smaller countries near important sea lanes could be effective. He described such transfers as a way to share deterrence with countries that do not yet have sufficient capabilities, helping create an environment in which major powers cannot easily expand their territory or influence.
"It is not about giving small countries weapons to attack," Yamada said. "It is about helping them strengthen their defenses so that major powers cannot move."
Yamada said his interest in ocean policy led him from academia into politics. He said he had long worked on ocean policy proposals, but became frustrated that policy was not moving forward, including on issues related to the Senkaku Islands. After meeting Democratic Party for the People Secretary-General Kazuya Shimba around the time of a January 14 event marking the development of the Senkaku Islands, Yamada said he proposed drafting ocean policy plans for the party. Shimba then encouraged him to enter politics himself, leading Yamada to run for the Diet.
Yamada also spoke about a pocket watch inherited from his grandfather through his father, who had once wanted to become a sailor. He said the watch dates from the late 1800s and that he sometimes carries it on important occasions, including when speaking at a plenary session of the Diet, as a way of feeling protected by his grandfather and father.
Asked for a guiding phrase, Yamada cited a poem by Emperor Meiji that was later invoked by Emperor Showa before World War II, saying it calls on people to reflect calmly before conflict and ask why tensions have arisen. Yamada said the poem is important to him because, even as international relations grow more complex, people remain fundamentally the same.
"In the end, we must protect our own country ourselves," Yamada said. "But before that, we need to return once to the starting point and think about the causes of confrontation."
Source: テレ東BIZ
