TOKYO — Japan is preparing to dispatch a delegation to Greenland sometime this summer to assess the potential for rare earth mineral extraction on the Arctic island, according to a report from the Nikkei newswire published Sunday.
The delegation is expected to include officials from Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, representatives from trading companies, and members of the Japan Organization for Metals and Energy Security. While there, the group plans to meet with local government officials, Nikkei reported.
Greenland, which is an autonomous territory within the Danish kingdom, has attracted significant international attention in recent months. Earlier this year, in January, the White House indicated that U.S. President Donald Trump was exploring ways to acquire the island — a statement that triggered concern among NATO allies across Europe. Those discussions have since shifted onto a diplomatic track.
The island is considered strategically valuable both for its geographic position in the Arctic and for the potentially abundant rare earth reserves believed to lie beneath its surface.
