发现海底稀土矿，日本的科技前景变得更光明

每天我们都会用到含有稀土的产品。稀土中有17种元素，而且正如其名，它们都非常罕见。用稀土制造的常见用品包括可充电电池、LED灯和显示屏以及风轮机等大型设备。

如今，日本在其领海发现了稀土矿，估算储量为1600万吨。研究人员称，这一宝藏或许可以“半无限”地满足整个世界对钇和铕等金属的需求。

《自然》周刊4月10日发表的研究报告称，该稀土矿位于日本小岛南鸟岛周边的深海中，距东京约1150英里（1851.5公里）。

鉴于矿藏几乎在水下4英里（6.44公里）处，开采是个问题。但研究结果公布后，相关公司的股价大幅上涨。从那时算起，海洋钻井公司日本海洋掘削（Japan Drilling）已上扬13%，离岸浮动平台制造和运营商Modec的股价也上升了5%。

《华尔街日报》引述负责此项研究的早稻田大学教授高谷雄太郎的话报道：“考虑到中国控制价格的情况，保障我们自己的资源供应很重要。”

东京国际基督教大学副教授史蒂芬·纳吉对《南华早报》表示：“这些金属对今后几代的技术而言很关键，日本通过立即找到新资源，包括跟蒙古合作，目的是确保资源供应并保持日本的科技优势。”（财富中文网）

译者：Charlie

Every day, we use products that are built using “rare earths”—a group of 17 elements that are, as the name suggests, very rare. They’re used to make everyday items such as rechargeable batteries, LED lights and display panels, as well as larger products such as wind turbines.

Now, it turns out, Japan has an estimated 16 million tons of the stuff on its turf. And researchers claim the trove might be enough to supply the world with metals such as yttrium and europium on a “semi-infinite basis.”

According to research published in Nature on April 10, the new stash of rare earths is located in deep-sea mud off the tiny island of Minamitori, some 1,150 miles southeast of Tokyo in the north Pacific.

Getting at the resources will be an issue, given that they’re almost four miles underwater. However, after the research came out, shares in relevant companies soared. Since then, Japan Drilling is up 13% and Modec , a Japanese supplier and operator of offshore floating platforms, is up 5%.

“It is important to secure our own source of resources, given how China controls the prices,” said Yutaro Takaya, the Waseda University professor who led the study, as quoted by the Wall Street Journal.

“These elements are critical for future generations of technology and Tokyo responded [to China’s 2010 actions] by immediately seeking out new sources, including Mongolia, in order to secure shipments and maintain Japan’s technological edge,” Stephen Nagy of Tokyo’s International Christian University told the South China Morning Post.