Japan has reportedly found hundreds of years' worth of rare earth minerals in its waters.
The discovery could help ease the world's dependence on China for the elements that are used in many high-tech products.
Hong Yoo has more.
Japanese researchers have found more than 16 million tons of rare earth deposits …under the seabed near the island of Minami-Torishima, …some 18-hundred kilometers from the country's mainland.
Rare earths include dozens of minerals used in high-tech products, from smart phones to electric vehicles.
According to the study released on Tuesday in the journal Scientific Reports, the researchers collected samples of the elements in 25 locations on the seabed …across a 25-hundred square-kilometer area.
The analysis found 730 years' worth of dysprosium, used for the magnets in hybrid cars, and 780 years' worth of yttrium, used in the manufacture of lasers, based on estimated demand.

The discovery of the deposits could help ease the world's dependence on China, …which accounts for nearly 90 percent of all rare earths production.
Beijing's dominant position has resulted in price spikes and shortages in the past.
The researchers say they have also come up with the technology to allow the resources to be extracted efficiently.
The method can boost the density of rare earth minerals to 20 times that of the deposits in mainland China.
The researchers plan to work with private companies to recover the rare earth minerals.
Hong Yoo, Arirang News.