Shin-Etsu to set up rare-earth smelter in Japan to ease reliance on China

Shin-Etsu to set up rare-earth smelter in Japan to ease reliance on China

TOKYO -- Shin-Etsu Chemical will build a new rare-earth refinery in Japan to achieve mass production of products and reduce reliance on China, people familiar with the matter have told Nikkei.

Japan relies heavily on China for both procurement and refining of rare-earth ores. Shin-Etsu will establish a system to secure rare earths from countries other than China and mass-produce products in order to create a stable supply chain for Japanese electric vehicle (EV) makers and other users.