Portfolio- State of Japan

Committee- United Nations Environmental Program

Agenda- Deliberating on the environmental impact and legislation related to deep-sea mining

“The greatest risk we face is not the potential environmental impacts of mineral recovery, but the risk
of inaction.”
—President David Adeang of Nauru

Deep Sea Mining (DSM) is the process of prospecting, exploring, extracting and then processing of
mineral deposits present on the ocean floor, usually beneath depths exceeding 200m. DSM dates back to
the 19th century, mentioned in Jules Verne's 20,000 Leagues under the Sea, and after that, polymetallic
nodules and sulphides were noticed in voyages like the Challenger expedition, but geopolitical interest
only started in the 20th century. DSM has emerged at the center of global debate, drawing scrutiny from
scientists, environmental organizations and world leaders alike. As nations search for new sources of
important resources like polymetallic nodules and polymetallic sulphides, important for tech, security, and
most importantly, green technology like EV batteries, major questions arise: Can deep sea mining work
along with the goal of protecting ocean ecosystems and global climate stability? And if it can, is it
possible to create proper legislation for the same?

DSM does have many merits, for example, having a vast resource abundance. The ISA reports that the
Clariton-Clipperton Zone, the most prospected deep-sea nodule area, contains approximately 21 billion
metric tons of polymetallic nodules, each with an average combined metal content 1,2. An important
thing to note is, China dominates the global electric vehicle market, accounting for more than 70% of
global production and over 60% of total EV sales in 2024. 3. In fact, Japan’s EV market relies heavily on
imports from China, about 60%. DSM can directly counteract this monopoly, and reduce Japan and other
nation’s dependence on China. Also, Polymetallic nodules show higher grades of metals than many land
deposits, allowing efficient metal recovery per tonne of material processed, making them very valuable 4.

However, DSM has many disadvantages too. Polymetallic nodules, cobalt crusts, and hydrothermal-vent
ecosystems have endemic species. DSM destroys these habitats, with recovery timelines measured in
centuries or longer, if recovery is possible at all 5. Furthermore, due to the lack of sufficient scientific
understanding of deep-sea ecosystems and the potential long-term impacts of mining, a growing number
of countries have called for a moratorium, mainly the European Union and Pacific Island Nations 6.

Legislation around DSM remains unclear and incomplete, with gaps in both international and national
frameworks. The UNCLOS recognizes the seabed beyond national waters as the “common heritage of
mankind” and established the ISA to regulate resource extraction (UNCLOS Articles 136, 156 and 157).
However, even after years of negotiation and the activation of the 2 Year Nauru Rule, the ISA has not
finalized detailed mining regulations, and their monitoring and enforcing capabilities are not enough
compared to the vast area of international waters. The absence of proper legislation may lead to
unregulated mining, legal disputes, and destruction of ecosystems.
As an island nation with limited resources, Japan has long been a leader in marine science and technology
development. Our 40-year history of seabed research and exploration has provided scientific insights that
inform our position on sustainable deep-sea resource development. Our approach is guided by our
commitment to the UNCLOS and our participation in the ISA, where we have consistently advocated for
environmental protections and science based decision making 7. Japan plans to launch the world’s first
commercial-scale deep-sea mining test in January 2026, targeting rare earth elements from mud deposits
at depths of 5,000–6,000 meters near Minamitori Island. This project serves both as a commercial and
national security initiative to reduce reliance on imported minerals and to study the environmental
impacts of deep-sea mining 8. Japan is also funding frameworks to mine the newly discovered mineral
resources in the deep-seabed, REY rich mud. There are no international rules and standards that govern
the extraction of REY rich mud, and Japan is working extensively to develop frameworks for the same 9.
However, Japan also has taken a leading role in developing Regional Environmental Management Plans
(REMPs), including hosting the ISA workshop on the Northwest Pacific REMP in February 2024,
showcasing our commitment to have a proper approach to DSM, keeping in regard the impact it can have
on the environment.

Japan acknowledges the fact that DSM will have serious environmental consequences. Deep-sea mining
is projected to cause significant and potentially irreversible biodiversity loss on human timescales, as
direct habitat destruction, sediment plumes, noise, and chemical disturbances disrupt fragile deep-sea
ecosystems. Recovery after such disturbances can take decades or longer, as demonstrated by long-term
studies like the 44-year DISCOL experiment 10. We also recognize that even though we have had over 40
years of research of the “Area”, there are still huge gaps in our knowledge and understanding of the
various endemic ecosystems present.

But, we also recognize the fact that a complete ban or a moratorium on DSM would have many
drawbacks, for example, Global demand for rare earth metals is projected to surge heavily in the coming
years, demand for cobalt could exceed land reserves by up to 423% by 2050, for nickel by 136%, and for
lithium by 280% 11. With land sources unable to keep pace, banning DSM would worsen shortages and
drive material prices really high, inflating costs for batteries, wind turbines, and other clean-energy
technologies.

We strongly support the ISA’s attempt to make a detailed framework. Japan believes strengthening
environmental standards in exploitation regulations is essential, ensuring they incorporate the latest
scientific knowledge for effective protection. Additionally,we believe the regulatory framework must
include strong monitoring, compliance, and enforcement mechanisms to safeguard marine ecosystems.
Equitable benefit sharing with developing countries should also be prioritized, in line with the “common
heritage of mankind” principle, to ensure fair distribution of deep-sea mining gains.

To answer the questions,