"Rare Earths" Articles (7)

US EAR and China's Export Controls Reach Past Their Borders: A Guide for Japanese Exporters

US EAR and Chinese export controls can reach products shipped from Japan to a third country. But "one US-made part makes it subject" is a myth. This guide walks through the four ways the EAR attaches, the de minimis calculation (10% and 25%), foreign direct product rules, the 0.1% rule for Chinese rare earths and where it stands today, and a way to check your own exposure, all based on the regulations and notices themselves.

2026-10-20Ryuta Hamamoto

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Three years of rare metal controls: why gallium cannot be sourced away from China, and where the alternatives actually stand

Three years on from China's gallium and germanium export controls, prices keep climbing and rare earth magnet shipments to Japan fell to 111 tonnes in July. Dependence has barely shifted, and the reason is structural: gallium is not mined on its own, it is a byproduct. Working from USGS primary statistics, here is the shape of the dependence, where alternative supply actually stands, and what a company can realistically do.

2026-08-21Ryuta Hamamoto

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Reading the Detentions in China: The Gap Is the Other Country's Export Controls

Several Japanese nationals have been reported detained in China, in connection with suspicion relating to export controls on dual-use items including rare earths. Starting from the premise that detention is not a finding of guilt, this sets out the gap most companies have — watching their own country's export controls but not the counterparty country's — and what to decide in advance.

2026-08-12Ryuta Hamamoto

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The US-China November 10 Deadlines After the Extension Announcement

The BIS 50 percent rule is stayed until 9 November 2026, and China's Announcement No. 70 suspension runs to 10 November. In September both governments announced an extension to 10 January 2027, but as of 3 October neither had completed the legal steps. China's Announcement No. 72 ends on 27 November.

2026-08-02Ryuta Hamamoto

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How Export Controls Moved in 2025-2026: The Monozukuri White Paper's Timeline and the 'November Cliff'

In the first part, I traced where economic security stands for manufacturers, as the 2026 Monozukuri White Paper portrays it.

2026-07-10Ryuta Hamamoto

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Who Controls Semiconductors: The Laws of the US, China, Japan, and Taiwan, Explained Simply

Who Controls Semiconductors: The Laws of the US, China, Japan, and Taiwan, Explained Simply. A practical TIMEWELL guide with clear context and actionable points.

2026-06-21Ryuta Hamamoto

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Export Control for Materials and Rare Earth Manufacturers: Critical Minerals, China Regulations, and Operating Under US-China Tensions (2026 Edition)

Export Control for Materials and Rare Earth Manufacturers: Critical Minerals, China Regulations, and Operating Under US-China Tensions (2026 Edition).

2026-04-24Ryuta Hamamoto