The Brookings Institution has published a new research commentary titled "What lessons can be learned from Japan’s critical minerals strategy?" as a part of its ongoing research series on economic security, supported by the United States-Japan Foundation (USJF). The commentary, examining Japan’s efforts to secure supply chains for rare earths and critical minerals amidst evolving geopolitical tensions, is available on The Brookings Institution's website.
The article features a conversation between Eiki Tagami, Visiting Senior Research Fellow at the Institute of Geoeconomics, and Dr. Mireya Solís, Director of the Center for Asia Policy Studies at Brookings. Tagami and Solís examine how Japan has historically managed supply chain shocks, such as the 2010 rare earth embargo, and its current strategies to mitigate Beijing’s 2025 export bans on dual-use items. They discuss the structural challenges private companies face when government security goals conflict with market realities, highlighting the necessity of coordinated international mechanisms to provide the concrete financial guarantees required for private sector action in the critical minerals sector.
The commentary is a part of USJF’s three-year grant to Brookings for the research project, "The Rise of Economic Security: Implications for U.S.-Japan Relations." Led by Solís, the project produces a monograph analyzing Japan’s emergence as a leader in economic security, offering a comparative study of how Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan develop novel security policies in response to economic dependence on China. Throughout the grant term, Solís will continue to disseminate findings through working papers and articles, culminating in a single-authored book with a planned Japanese translation.
The work is also featured on the USJF Research page, where research supported by the Foundation is shared to encourage exchange and reflection.