US, Japan to focus rare earths cooperation on select group of minerals at first

WASHINGTON, March 19 (Reuters) – The U.S. and Japan on Thursday released an action plan for their efforts to develop alternatives to China for critical minerals and rare earths supply chains, focusing initially on price floors for a select group of minerals. A joint U.S.-Japan statement released by the U.S. Trade Representative’s Office during Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s visit to the White House said the two countries aimed to deliver “concrete, near-term results towards securing mutual supply chain resilience.” The statement said the two countries will discuss coordinated trade policies such as a border-adjusted price floor mechanism, “focusing in…