Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology said Tuesday (December 23) that it will conduct a test to excavate the deep seabed off Minamitorishima, a remote Tokyo island, and collect clay-like sediment rich in rare earths.

The Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology, or JAMSTEC, unveiled on Monday a deep-sea explorer capable of reaching a depth of 8,000 meters, the deepest among the country's existing deep-sea probes.