Japanese
Print
  1. Home
  2. News Releases
  3. Back Issues
  4. November FY2020
  5. The 10th Trilateral EU-US-Japan Conference on Critical Materials Held

The 10th Trilateral EU-US-Japan Conference on Critical Materials Held

Japanese

November 11, 2020

External Economic Policy

On November 10, 2020, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI), the Department of Energy (DOE) of the United States, and the European Commission jointly held the 10th Trilateral EU-US-Japan Conference on Critical Materials online.

At the conference, the representatives of Japan, the U.S. and the EU exchanged information on their policies for critical materials, research and development (R&D), future challenges and other issues. They confirmed that Japan, the U.S and the EU will continue to advance collaborative efforts for securing stable supply of critical materials.

1. Background

The Trilateral EU-US-Japan Conference on Critical Materials commenced in 2011 in response to such circumstances as soaring prices of some critical materials, especially rare earth elements, from 2010. The conference has been held annually in order to exchange information on policies for critical materials, R&D, and other efforts under the framework of trilateral cooperation between Japan, the U.S. and the EU.

2. Summary of the outcomes

  1. The participants held discussions and exchanged information on the critical materials at the following three sessions: [i] progress in efforts tackled by the respective countries, such as those for development of technologies and materials, [ii] path forward for future Trilateral conference, and [iii] recent international trends in renewable energy and other issues.

  2. The conference brought together Australia and Canada as observers, and the participants confirmed anew the importance of international cooperation to be prepared for potential supply disruptions of critical materials and also affirmed that Japan, the U.S. and the EU will continue to promote collaborative efforts for securing stable supply of critical materials and other activities.

  3. The next conference is scheduled to be held in Japan in 2021.

Division in Charge

Related website