India has agreed to export rare earths to Japan. Indian Prime Minister Mamohan Singh is expected to sign a Memorandum of Understanding with Japanese officials during his visit next week.
The Japanese trading company Toyota Tsusho will jointly refine raw materials with the state-owned Indian Rare Earths. Toyota Tsusho says construction of a rare earth refinery was completed this summer in the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh.
It will start trial operations in December. India could export up to 5,000 tons of rare earth to Japan each year more that 10 percent of Japan’s demand.