TOKYO -- Japanese conglomerate Furukawa is leveraging its terrestrial mining know-how to develop prototype equipment that can extract rare-earth elements and rare metals from the ocean floor.
The group, which is focused on mining and machinery, holds about 20 maritime-mining-related patents including joint filings, placing it among the top Japanese companies in the field. Discussions about commercialization are now picking up with the Trump administration in the U.S. showing interest.
Nickel and cobalt ores, as well as mud containing rare-earth elements, are distributed across the ocean floor. Research on mining these resources is underway in many countries, but operations have yet to be commercialized because of profitability challenges.
In Japan, the Japan Organization for Metals and Energy Security has been commissioned by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry to work with companies and research institutions in assessing undersea resource reserves and studying production technologies.
In response to the organization's public solicitation, Furukawa has been working on developing technology to this end since 2018. The company is using its technology developed for mining on dry land -- such as hydraulic crawler drills that autonomously traverse uneven ground to bore into bedrock and slurry pumps that can transport liquid and solid materials together -- to develop prototypes for mining seabed resources.
The work was initially handled by the company's technology headquarters, but Furukawa reorganized operations in 2023. It set up a dedicated team of about 10 people through an internal recruitment drive, the first in decades.
"We made a decision to really tackle this as a company," said Furukawa director Tatsuki Nazuka. "We gathered highly motivated personnel."
Furukawa has obtained patents related to seabed mining that are both economically and technologically promising, according to Kudo & Associates, a law firm that specializes in intellectual property.
Globally, there are 558 patents related to maritime mining, according to the office, nearly 80% of which are held by Chinese companies and universities. Japan has 66, the second most among countries. Furukawa holds 30% of Japan's total.
China accounts for much of the production of rare earths and rare metals, commodities that are critical to economic security. U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order in late April to promote seabed mining with a goal of countering any growth of China's influence in the sector.
Undersea mining in international waters is overseen by the International Seabed Authority, a United Nations organization. The ISA aims to finalize regulations for seabed mining by its July session, but some non-government organizations and national governments have voiced strong concerns about the environmental impact of such operations.
It is unclear whether the parties will reach an agreement, but the Trump administration's position may give the ISA a push toward finalizing the rules.
In the 2010s, professor Yasuhiro Kato of the University of Tokyo confirmed the presence of significant resource deposits in the seabed of Japan's exclusive economic zone. Pacific Metals, a Japanese company that specializes in production of ferronickel, announced in April that it would fully commercialize its technology for smelting seabed ores from fiscal 2029.
More companies are moving to commercialize their own technologies as the field develops.
