The Japan Times67%
China’s mineral squeeze testing Japan’s military buildup 60%
By Gabriel Dominguez0%
6/24/2026, 5:02:00 AM
BS Summary: This article contains 16 faulty reasoning types, including Confirmation Bias, Post Hoc (False Cause), and Appeal to Authority, with Negativity Bias as the most egregious example at 26.3% saturation with 119 hits. Analysis detected 823 faulty-reasoning hits from 452 analyzed words, generating a BS Score of 56.1% and a BS Rank of 60% (8,780 of 21,886 articles). This article is worse (more manipulative) than 59.90% of the article peer group.
China’s tightening export controls on dual-use materials and strategically important rare earths are beginning to disrupt Japanese industry — including the defense sector.
Chinese customs data tell the sharpest part of the story.
Exports of dysprosium oxide to Japan ceased after October 2025, and shipments of terbium oxide ended a month later.
No shipments of either material have been recorded since.
The halt matters because dysprosium and terbium — both heavy rare earth elements — are among the most critical inputs for high-performance permanent magnets used in advanced military systems, electric vehicle motors, aerospace applications and industrial robotics.
Industry experts say the curbs are forcing Japanese firms to seek access to government stockpiles of critical minerals, hunt for alternative suppliers and ration their use of the scarce materials.
The restrictions are exposing vulnerabilities in Japan’s defense-industrial supply chains while also providing the clearest test yet of whether more than a decade of efforts to strengthen economic security and supply-chain resilience can withstand sustained pressure from China.
“China’s dual-use export restrictions are affecting Japan acutely in both the commercial and defense sectors,” William Chou, an expert on Japanese economic security issues and senior fellow at the Hudson Institute, told The Japan Times following discussions with Japanese government officials.
In January, China announced restrictions on the export of Chinese-origin dual-use items destined for the Japanese military and other end uses that could contribute to Japan’s military capabilities.
Officially, Beijing framed the measures as necessary to safeguard national security and prevent the proliferation of sensitive technologies.
But the move appeared to lock in a de facto export curb that had already taken hold in November, around the time Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi suggested that a Chinese blockade of Taiwan could constitute a “survival-threatening situation” for Japan and potentially justify a response by the Self-Defense Forces.
Beijing, which claims the self-ruled island as part of its own territory, denounced the remarks as a violation of its sovereignty and has since cited concerns about Japan’s “remilitarization” when defending its tighter export controls.
Among other things, rare earth elements are used in high-performance magnets found in missiles, aircraft and radar systems, while other critical minerals play key roles in semiconductors, sensors and electronic components.
In a sign of the seriousness of the crackdown, two Japanese nationals were detained in China, Tokyo said Wednesday, reportedly over attempts to take export-restricted rare earth products overseas.
While dysprosium and terbium have attracted the most attention, tungsten has emerged as a separate concern, with China halting exports to Japan of unwrought tungsten powder and tungsten carbide since February, according to Chinese customs data.
Tungsten, used in weapons systems as well as industrial cutting tools and...
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100%flagged-word coverageWilliam Chou
41 attributed words100% of attributed speech83% writer coverage
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