Trump and Japan Launch Joint Framework to Secure Critical Minerals and Reduce Foreign Dependence

The U.S. is 100% import-dependent for 12 critical minerals, with China as the dominant foreign source for at least 29 mineral commodities

China controls an estimated 40–90% of global processing capacity for key critical minerals — even though it mines only about 10% of those materials globally

China has imposed export restrictions on at least 10 critical minerals since late 2024, including gallium, germanium, antimony, graphite, and seven heavy rare earth elements

The U.S.-Japan framework is nonbinding and sets a 180-day window to select and fund joint mining projects, with a bilateral ministerial meeting required within that period

U.S. mines take an average of 29 years from discovery to first production — the second-slowest development timeline in the world, per a 2024 S&P Global study