U.S. and Japanese government and company officials met Sept. 10 to discuss bottlenecks in Chinese yttrium supplies, a rare-earth metal used in aerospace and chipmaking, two weeks before a Trump-Xi summit. Reuters could not determine the meeting's outcome.
The U.S. Department of Energy hosted the senior-level discussions with Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry. An invitation said they aimed to identify opportunities for joint work to strengthen supply-chain resilience, focusing on permanent magnets and yttrium.
China introduced a licensing regime for yttrium and other critical minerals in retaliation for Trump's April 2025 tariffs. Customs data showed zero U.S.-bound yttrium shipments in January, May and June 2026; Reuters has reported resulting work stoppages across key industries. More than two-thirds of nearly 200 May and June 2026 filings to the Tokyo Stock Exchange by Japanese companies that mentioned rare earths said export controls were hurting business or could do so. China's Embassy said the controls are legal and in line with international practice and that Beijing is committed to stable global critical-mineral supply chains.
