“Areas connected to southern China such as Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam will be potential regions that the company will look into,” said Sojitz Chief Financial Officer Makoto Shibuya. | BLOOMBERG

Japanese trading house Sojitz is looking to Southeast Asia and other regions as new potential sources of rare earths outside Australia, as it aims to boost output and diversify its supply chain of the highly sought-after materials.

“Areas connected to southern China such as Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam will be potential regions that the company will look into,” Chief Financial Officer Makoto Shibuya said this week. The company will also consider India and other countries if suitable rare earths investment opportunities exist there, he added.

Rare earths are among the critical minerals used across high-tech manufacturing, including to build the powerful magnets used in electric vehicles, mobile phones and missile systems.…