What lessons can be learned from Japan’s critical minerals strategy?

The Center for Asia Policy Studies at Brookings hosted a workshop on Japan’s critical minerals strategy with experts from the United States and Japan on February 4, 2026. Mireya Solís, director of the Center for Asia Policy Studies at Brookings, followed up with a written conversation with Eiki Tagami, visiting senior research fellow at the Institute of Geoeconomics in Tokyo. …

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Quick payback seen for Yukon’s Coffee gold project

Newmont (NYSE: NEM)-backed developer Fuerte Metals (TSXV: FMT; US-OTC: FUEMF) says it would need barely a year at current gold prices to recoup the C$983 million ($718 million) initial capital costs of building the Coffee gold project in Yukon. Based on a 5% discount rate and $3,620 per oz. gold price, a new preliminary economic assessment shows Coffee has an after-tax net …

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9 Smart Reasons To Invest In Gold In 2026

Central banks are buying heavily, investors are holding more, and supply growth stays limited. Gold’s role in portfolios looks stronger and more structural than in past cycles. Global gold demand hit an all-time high in 2025, rising to more than 5,000 tonnes for the first time. At the same time, investment flows went up 84% year-over-year and exchange-traded funds added …

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Brazil and India sign critical minerals pact

Brazil and India signed a series of agreements during President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s three-day state visit to New Delhi covering critical minerals and pharmaceutical technology, but the trip fell short of one of its most commercially significant objectives after negotiations to open the Indian market to Brazilian chicken and eggs collapsed, Folha de S.Paulo reported. On the minerals front, the …

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Top 10 Central Bank Gold Reserves

Global central banks own about 17 percent of all the gold ever mined, with reserves topping 36,520.7 metric tons (MT) at the end of November 2025. They acquired the vast majority after becoming net buyers of the metal in 2010. Central banks purchase gold for a number of reasons: to mitigate risk, to hedge against inflation and to promote economic stability. Increased concerns …

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Canada’s defence strategy opens door for critical minerals, resource growth

Canada’s newly unveiled defence industrial strategy could unlock opportunities for the country’s mining and critical minerals sectors, as policymakers look to strengthen national security while reinforcing domestic supply chains. Ottawa-based industry coalition New Economy Canada said this week that the federal commitment to a modernised defence framework had the potential to transform Canada’s manufacturing, resources, electricity and supply chain industries. The group, comprising business, Indigenous and labour organisations, argues that defence spending, if structured strategically, …

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Breaking China’s Hold on Critical Minerals Requires More than Tariffs 

Project Vault tackles investment risk directly, while FORGE will falter unless it becomes an enforceable trade regime.  The Trump administration has unveiled two new initiatives to break China’s grip on critical minerals. One has a high likelihood of success. The other needs a strong dose of enforcement to work.   At a ministerial meeting in Washington this month, the administration introduced the Forum …

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Copper, lithium unlikely to match gold’s gains as output rises: Goldman

Producers across the world are likely to ramp up output of commodities such as copper and lithium, limiting the kind of runaway price gains seen in gold even as markets anticipate a prolonged rally in raw materials, Goldman Sachs said. Gold has surged to record highs, while a range of other commodities have also climbed, as governments and investors seek …

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Brazil Sits on $2.6B in Rare Earth Projects. One Mine Works

Brazil sits on the world’s second-largest rare earth reserves — 21 million metric tons, behind only China’s 44 million. These 17 metallic elements are essential to electric vehicles, wind turbines, and missile guidance systems. Yet as the race to break China’s grip on critical minerals intensifies, Brazil has exactly one operating mine. That could change. A mining sector report published …

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