Japanese Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama said on Friday she would meet her counterparts in the United States next week to discuss rare earths supplies, and repeated Tokyo's condemnation of China over its latest export controls. Katayama said she was "very concerned" about Beijing's actions and that she would share Japan's stance at next week's meeting. On Thursday, the Wall Street Journal reported that China had also begun restricting exports to Japanese companies of rare earths and powerful magnets containing them. ADVERTISEMENTAsked about the report, Japan's trade minister Ryosei Akazawa did not comment on whether China had halted Japan-bound export permit reviews, saying Tokyo was analysing the situation. Finance ministers from the G7 nations will meet in Washington on January 12 to discuss rare earths supplies, three sources familiar with the matter told Reuters.

Source: The Telegraph January 09, 2026 05:53 UTC