Domestic rare earths eyed to make LEDs

Researchers, lawmakers and businesses are hoping to use rare earths in deep waters near the coast of Japan to produce LEDs, The Yomiuri Shimbun has learned. Both the public and private sectors are aiming to jointly develop LED products in time for the 2020 Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games. Rare earths are highly concentrated in the deep seabed mud at a depth of over 5,000 meters off Minami-Torishima island, Japan’s easternmost territory in the Ogasawara Islands. Its reserves are predicted to cover 200 years or more of domestic demand.