Sojitz to buy yttrium from Malaysia as early as 2027
The Japanese trading house also wants to obtain other medium and heavy rare earths from Malaysia as a Lynas plant expansion progresses.
Sojitz will turn to Malaysia for yttrium supplies as early as 2027 to reduce its dependence on Chinese procurement, according to Nikkei Asia, which cited the Japanese trading house’s president, Kosuke Uemura.
Uemura said the company also intends to buy other rare earths in the medium and heavy categories from Malaysia. He reported progress on a Malaysian processing plant expansion project led by Sojitz’s Australian partner, Lynas Rare Earths.
The move follows tighter Chinese controls over rare earth exports and processing technology. In June, China shipped none of four materials to Japan: gallium, dysprosium, terbium and yttrium. Malaysia permits exports of processed rare earth products with added value, but prohibits exports in raw form.
Yttrium is used in LED displays, camera-lens glass and defence lasers, while the radioactive isotope yttrium-90 is used for liver cancer treatment. Lynas also produces samarium for high-performance permanent magnets used in defence, and terbium for certain electronic components and naval sonar systems.
