The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI), the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO), the U.S. Department of Energy, and the European Commission will jointly organize a two-day trilateral workshop in Washington, D.C. on October 4 and 5 for securing stable supplies of rare earths.

Rare earths are indispensable to the future manufacturing of high-tech products because they are used to produce high-performance magnets in motors of hybrid vehicles and wind turbine generators as well as key components of leading-edge information terminals.

The upcoming workshop held in Washington, D.C. will bring together policy-makers and experts in materials technology from Japan, the U.S. and Europe, which are three major sources of demand in the global rare-earth market. Participants will share the understanding of global issues concerning rare-earth supply and discuss strategic efforts to secure stable supplies of rare earths in the future, including alternative technologies and recycling techniques.

Date: Tuesday, October 4, 2011, from 9:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. (local time)

Place: Cosmos Club, 2121 Massachusetts Ave., Washington, D.C.

Expected attendees:

<Japan >
Mr. Ichiro Fujisaki, Japanese Ambassador to the U.S., and Mr. Keiichi Kawakami   Deputy Director-General of the Manufacturing Industries Bureau

<The United States>
Mr. David Sandalow, Assistant Secretary, Department of Energy

<Europe>
Mr. Reinhard Bütikofer, Member of the European Parliament, and others

- Nonferrous Metals Division, Manufacturing Industries Bureau

- Electronics, Materials Technology and Nanotechnology Department, New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO)

October 4, 2011