"The arrangement could signal a fracture in the decades-long effort among nations to reach consensus on how to mine the ocean floor while protecting ecosystems."
"The United States has spent nearly a year pursuing deep sea mining without cooperation from the rest of the world. Now, Japan has said it will help out.
In memo signed by officials of both countries last week, Japan and the United States agreed to share research and insights from their forays into the fledgling industry. It was an extraordinary public show of support for recent U.S. efforts to jump-start the deep sea mining industry, according to diplomats and officials who work on seabed issues.
Vast areas of the ocean floor are rich with valuable minerals, but mining them would be technically challenging and critics say it could damage marine ecosystems. In addition, issuing permits to mine in international waters, which the United States has said it intends to do, raises diplomatic questions given that international waters, by definition, aren’t the domain of any one country.
The document, known as a memorandum of cooperation, lays out the countries’ intentions but is not legally binding. It was signed along with a number of other economic and resource-focused partnership agreements after President Trump and Japan’s prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, met in Washington."
Sachi Kitajima Mulkey reports for the New York Times March 29, 2026.
SEE ALSO:
"The Controversy Over Deep-Sea Mining, Explained" (Yale Climate Connections)
https://yaleclimateconnections.org/2026/03/the-controversy-over-deep-sea...
"No Seat At The Table: US And Japan Eye Pacific Seabed While The Marianas Watch" (Guam Daily Post)
https://www.postguam.com/news/local/no-seat-at-the-table-us-and-japan-ey...
