The Japanese government has discovered over 16 million mt of "rare earth mud" on the seabed around Minamitorishima Island, with approximately half of it being medium-heavy rare earth. The government plans to commence the development of these rare earth muds after 2025. In April, it announced the launch of a connection test for the "mud suction pipe" designed to retrieve rare earth mud from a depth of 6,000 meters in the deep sea, hoping to perfect the production system after 2028. However, the technology for seabed extraction is not yet mature, and industrial applications face various technological challenges, while also needing to consider the impact on the ecosystem.