Mitsui Mining & Smelting Co., Ltd. (Tokyo), a nonferrous metals manufacturer, will establish a new organization, the “Kyushu Advanced Materials Development Center,” to conduct research and development of advanced materials, primarily for semiconductor applications. The company will invest ¥10 billion to construct a new building on the premises of its Rare Materials Division in Omuta City, Fukuoka Prefecture, with completion targeted for fiscal 2028. As the Japanese government moves to recover rare earth–containing mud from the seabed near Minamitorishima (Marcus Island), Mitsui Mining & Smelting is also considering refining rare earth mud at the new facility. Through this initiative, the company aims to strengthen a domestic supply chain for rare earths, for which Japan currently maintains a high level of dependence on China. Source: FIBA
Photo: Mitsui Mining & Smelting
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