美日繼續商討稀土問題

Recently the Yomiuri News reported the following:

前原外相とクリントン米国務長官は２７日（日本時間２８日）、米ハワイ・ホノルルのホテルで会談し、中国が世界の生産量の９割以上を占めるレアアース（希土類）について、供給源の多角的な確保へ連携して取り組むことで一致した。

　長官は会談後の記者会見で、中国によるレアアースの輸出規制について「目覚ましとなった。一つの供給源に依存しすぎれば、災害などで供給が止まってしまう。全世界がもっと供給源を追求すべきだ」と強調。外相も「中国に依存するのは適切でなかった。日米で連携し、多角的な資源外交に努力したい」と述べた。
　会談は約２時間行われ、１１月のオバマ大統領来日を前に「アジア・太平洋地域の共有財」としての日米同盟の重要性と、同盟深化協議の加速を再確認。

(試譯文)

On the 27th (28th Japan standard time) Foreign Minister Maehara and Secretary of State Clinton held a discussion at a hotel in U.S. Hawaii Honolulu to work out a co-ordinated approach to secure a diversified supply source for rare earth (rare earthes) which China accounted for 90 percent or more of its production in the world.

The Secretary, having regard to China on the restriction of export of rare earth, at a press conference after the talk emphasised that ｢It became an alarm clock. Supply stoppage could be a disaster if depending on one supply source too much. We should pursue more supply sources from all parts of the world｣. The Foreign Minister also expressed that ｢Depending on China was imappropriate. I want Japan and U.S. to co-operate and to make a diplomatic effort to seek diversified resources｣.
The conference lasted for about two hours, and before President Obama visiting Japan in November the conference would reaffirm the importance of the alliance between Japan and the United States as the "Common fortune of Asia Pacific region", and also reaffirm the acceleration of the deepening of the alliance.

It seems that Japan and the US are sharing similar line of thinking as far as the world supply of rare earth is concerned.