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Japan

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Japan refined 5.1% (IEA) of the world's copper in 2025.

5.1%

of the world's copper refining in 2025, according to IEA · about 1 in 20

#4 in copper refiningANNUAL 2025

  • Materials with a production share

    5

    with a mining or refining share on record

  • Exports of the ten materials

    $7.8bn

    2024; most of it copper; 81 partner countries

  • Grid emissions intensity

    474gCO2e/kWh

    2025

  • Imports of the ten materials

    $19bn

    2024; most of it copper; 57 partner countries

OverviewSupply chainMoneySustainabilityRisks & policySourcesHistory & talk

Overview

What it produces

Share of world output, per material and stage. Each bar is one source's figure; where two sources report the same stage, both are shown and never blended. A full-width bar would be 100%.

  • Copper· Refine

    • 5.1%about 1 in 20#4 in copper refiningIEA, 2025 · 1 431 kt Cu

      Rank 4 of the 6 countries with a figure in this IEA table.

    • 4.8%about 1 in 20#4 in copper refiningUSGS, 2025 (estimated) · 1 400 kt

      Rank 4 of the 17 countries with a figure in this USGS table.

  • Graphite· Refine

    • 3%about 1 in 20#2 in graphite refiningIEA, 2025 · 68 kt

      Rank 2 of the 6 countries with a figure in this IEA table.

  • Nickel· Refine

    • 2.9%#5 in nickel refiningIEA, 2025 · 108 kt Ni

      Rank 5 of the 7 countries with a figure in this IEA table.

  • Cobalt· Refine

    • 2.5%#3 in cobalt refiningIEA, 2025 · 6 kt Co

      Rank 3 of the 6 countries with a figure in this IEA table.

  • Gallium· Refine

    • 0.3%#3 in gallium refiningUSGS, 2025 (estimated) · 3 000 kg

      Rank 3 of the 3 countries with a figure in this USGS table.

Key facts

Country code
JPN
GDP
$4.44tn (2025)
Mineral rents, share of GDP
0% (2021)
Ores and metals, share of goods exports
3.6% (2025)
Mining area, all commodities
13 km² (2019; rank 106 of 144)

Money →Sustainability →Risks & policy →

Map

Basemap: Natural Earth (public domain)
  • Japan

Sites are those in the open sources. A site missing here is missing from the sources, not from the world.

Country in context

Copper: Refining (IEA), 2025. All rows come from the same table.

Country in context: Copper, Refining (IEA), 2025
Countrykt CuShare of worldSource
JapanThis country1 4315.1 %
ChinaLargest producer in the table13 06946.8 %
World totalWorld total as the source gives it27 955–

Supply chain

Every figure the sources give for this country, its trade partners per material, and where its sites are.

Production, refining and reserves

The latest year of each series. Share is of the series total: the larger of the source world total and the sum of its rows. Rank counts only the countries that have a number in that series.

Production, refining and reserves: Japan
SeriesAmountShare of worldSource
Cobalt: Refining (IEA)2025 · IEA GCMO 2026 · rank 3 of 66 kt Co2.5 %
Nickel: Refining (IEA)2025 · IEA GCMO 2026 · rank 5 of 7108 kt Ni2.9 %
Copper: Mine production2025 (estimated) · USGS MCS 2026Nil (—) in source–
Copper: Refinery production2025 (estimated) · USGS MCS 2026 · rank 4 of 171 400 kt4.8 %
Copper: Refining (IEA)2025 · IEA GCMO 2026 · rank 4 of 61 431 kt Cu5.1 %
Copper: Reserves2025 · USGS MCS 2026Nil (—) in source–
Graphite: Refined battery-grade supply (IEA)2025 · IEA GCMO 2026 · rank 2 of 668 kt3.0 %
Gallium: Primary production2025 (estimated) · USGS MCS 2026 · rank 3 of 33 000 kg0.3 %
Gallium: Production capacity2025 (estimated) · USGS MCS 2026 · rank 2 of 310 000 kg0.6 %

Mines and plants listed without coordinates · 25

The USGS Minerals Yearbook names these operations in Japan with company, place and annual capacity, but gives no coordinates, so they are not on the map. Capacity is not production. Each row is from the chapter year shown.

Material and productKindCompany, as listedPlace, as listedAnnual capacityYearSource
AntimonyAntimonyNot specifiedHosokura Metal Mining Co. Ltd. (Mitsubishi Materials Corp., 100%)Refinery in Hosokura, Miyagi Prefecture360. (as printed)2021
AntimonyAntimonyNot specifiedKosaka Smelting and Refining Co. Ltd. (Dowa Metals & Mining Co. Ltd., 100%)Refinery in Kosaka, Akita Prefecture500. (as printed)2021
AntimonyAntimonyNot specifiedToho Zinc Co. Ltd.Chigirishima refinery, Toyoda, Hiroshima Prefecture1,200. (as printed)2021
CobaltCobalt, refined, metalPlantSumitomo Metal Mining Co. Ltd. (SMM)Harima plant, Kako District, Hyogo PrefectureNA. (as printed)2021
CobaltCobalt, refined, metalPlantSumitomo Metal Mining Co. Ltd. (SMM)Niihama plant, Niihama, Ehime Prefecture4,500. (as printed)2021
CopperCopper, refinedPlantHibi Kyodo Smelting Co. Ltd. (Mitsui Mining & Smelting Co. Ltd., 63.51%; Nittetsu Mining Co Ltd., 20.28%; Furukawa Metals & Resources Co. Ltd., 16.21%)Tamano smelter, Tamano, Okayama Prefecture200. (as printed)2021
CopperCopper, refinedPlantJX Metals Smelting Co. Ltd. (JX Nippon Mining & Metals Co. Ltd., 100%)Hitachi refinery, Ibaraki Prefecture180. (as printed)2021
CopperCopper, refinedPlantJX Metals Smelting Co. Ltd. (JX Nippon Mining & Metals Co. Ltd., 100%)Saganoseki smelter and refinery, Oita Prefecture270. (as printed)2021
CopperCopper, refinedPlantKosaka Smelting and Refining Co. Ltd. (Dowa Metals & Mining Co. Ltd., 100%)Refinery in Kosaka, Akita Prefecture65. (as printed)2021
CopperCopper, refinedPlantMitsubishi Materials Corp.Plant in Naoshima, Kagawa Prefecture234. (as printed)2021
CopperCopper, refinedPlantOnahama Smelting and Refining Co. Ltd. (Mitsubishi Materials Corp., 55.714%; Dowa Metals & Mining Co. Ltd., 31.621%; Furukawa Metals & Resources Co. Ltd., 12.665%)Onahama smelter and refinery, Iwaki, Fukushima Prefecture300. (as printed)2021
CopperCopper, refinedPlantSumitomo Metal Mining Co. Ltd. (SMM)Toyo plant, Saijo, Ehime Prefecture460. (as printed)2021
GalliumGalliumNot specifiedAkita Zinc Co. Ltd. [Dowa Metals & Mining Co. Ltd., 86%, and Sumitomo Metal Mining Co. Ltd. (SMM), 14%]Plant in Iijima, Akita Prefecture10. (as printed)2021
GalliumGalliumNot specifiedNippon Rare Metal Inc.Iwaki plant, Fukushima PrefectureNA. (as printed)2021
NickelNickel > FerronickelPlantHyuga Smelting Co. Ltd. [Sumitomo Metal Mining Co. Ltd. (SMM), 60%; Nippon Steel Stainless Steel Corp., 25%; Mitsui & Co. Ltd., 15%]Plant in Hyuga, Miyazaki Prefecture15,000. (as printed)2021
NickelNickel > RefinedPlantMitsubishi Materials Corp.Plant in Naoshima, Kagawa Prefecture2,400. (as printed)2021
NickelNickel > FerronickelPlantNippon Yakin Kogyo Co. Ltd.Oheyama plant, Miyazu, Kyoto Prefecture13,500. (as printed)2021
NickelNickel > FerronickelPlantPacific Metals Co. Ltd.Plant in Hachinohe, Aomori Prefecture35,000. (as printed)2021
NickelNickel > RefinedPlantSumitomo Metal Mining Co. Ltd. (SMM)Harima plant, Kako District, Hyogo Prefecture61,000. (as printed)2021
NickelNickel > RefinedPlantSumitomo Metal Mining Co. Ltd. (SMM)Nickel plant, Niihama, Ehime Prefecture75,000. (as printed)2021
NickelNickel > OxidePlantVale Japan Ltd. [Vale Canada Ltd., 87.2%, and Sumitomo Metal Mining Co. Ltd. (SMM), 12.8%]Matsusaka plant, Matsusaka, Mie Prefecture66,000. (as printed)2021
NickelNickel > PowderNot specifiedToho Titanium Co. Ltd. (JX Nippon Mining & Metals Co. Ltd., 50.38%; Nippon Steel Corp., 4.92%; Master Trust Bank of Japan Ltd., 3.12%; State Street Bank and Trust Co., 2.06%)Chigasaki plant, Chigasaki, Kanagawa Prefecture720. (as printed)2021
NickelNickel > PowderNot specifiedToho Titanium Co. Ltd. (JX Nippon Mining & Metals Co. Ltd., 50.38%; Nippon Steel Corp., 4.92%; Master Trust Bank of Japan Ltd., 3.12%; State Street Bank and Trust Co., 2.06%)Wakamatsu plant, Kitakyushu, Fukuoka Prefecture320. (as printed)2021
TungstenTungstenNot specifiedA.L.M.T. Corp.Plants in Sakata, Yamagata Prefecture; and Toyama, Toyama PrefectureNA. (as printed)2021
TungstenTungstenNot specifiedJapan New Metals Co. Ltd. (Mitsubishi Materials Corp., 100%)Plant in Akita, Akita PrefectureNA. (as printed)2021

Trade partners

7 recorded flows, 2024

Basemap: Natural Earth (public domain)
  • Recorded trade flow; a thicker line is a larger value
  • Japan

Lines join the middle of each country. They are not shipping routes.

Recorded trade flows of Japan: Copper
PartnerMaterialYearValue, US$Source
Import fromChileCopperMine2024$5.4bn
Import fromIndonesiaCopperMine2024$2.2bn
Export toChinaCopperRefine2024$2.1bn
Export toIndiaCopperRefine2024$1.9bn
Import fromPeruCopperMine2024$1.8bn
Import fromAustraliaCopperMine2024$1.6bn
Export toOther Asia, nesCopperRefine2024$1.2bn

Reconciled customs data (CEPII BACI), by value. The data holds only the largest flows of each material, so this is not the country’s full trade.

0 sites, deposits and projects on record are listed with the map in the Overview →

Money

What the trade data and the World Bank record in money terms. Every value is a reported figure with its own year.

All recorded trade flows of 2024 under the customs codes that isolate one of the ten materials, by value (CEPII BACI, reconciled estimates, current US dollars). Codes that mix several materials are left out, so trade in those materials is understated; gallium and germanium have no usable code at all. Each material lists its five largest partners. Why trade data blurs some materials

Exports of the ten materials

$7.8bnin 2024, with 81 partner countries

Imports of the ten materials

$19bnin 2024, with 57 partner countries

The economy around mining

World Bank indicators. Each has its own latest year, shown next to the value; mineral rents are often several years old.

  • GDP (current US$)

    $4.44tn

    Year 2025

  • Mineral rents (% of GDP)

    0%

    Year 2021

  • Ores and metals exports (% of merchandise exports)

    3.6%

    Year 2025

Government revenue from extractives

No data yet. Japan has no EITI summary record with a government total. Countries report only if they implement the EITI Standard; a missing record does not mean there is no such revenue.

EITI open data

Investment pipeline

announced figures

Planned and under-construction projects in Japan with a publicly announced capital cost, public financial backing, or both. Each line is one statement by the named publisher on the given date; the atlas adds nothing to it.

No data yet. The atlas has read no announcement of this kind for a project in Japan. The list is short and hand-read; a missing project is missing from the list, not from the world.

A short, hand-read list, not a census: 19 projects in all. Announced amounts are not spending, a letter of interest or a conditional commitment is not a loan, and amounts stay in the currency of the announcement.

Public support instruments

Stockpiles, price floors, offtake and purchasing programmes and public funds of Japan's government, as dated policy events of the type "public support". Each is one statement by its publisher.

  • 2025-10-28signed · United States and JapanOther supportannounced

    Bilateral, non-binding framework on financial support, pricing measures and a possible complementary stockpiling arrangement for critical minerals and rare earths.

    Covers: “critical minerals and rare earths” · Materials: Rare earths

    The publisher's words: “The Participants intend to work together to consider a mutually complementary stockpiling arrangement, utilizing existing national systems”
    2 further statements from the source

    pricing measures

    The publisher's words: “pricing measures to support alternative projects and such high-standard markets”

    financial support within six months

    The publisher's words: “the Participants intend to take measures to provide financial support to selected projects”

Mining companies headquartered here · 2

Companies that Wikidata places in the mining industry with headquarters in Japan, for every commodity, not only the ten materials. Wikidata is edited by volunteers: entries may be missing or out of date, and each name links to its item. A listing names an exchange and a ticker; it is not a price.

CompanyHeadquartersStock listingLEISource
JX Nippon Mining & Metalsnamed at 5 sites or listed plants, itself or through a subsidiaryTokyoTokyo Stock Exchange: 5016—
Kunimine Industries Co.Iwamotochō——

These figures are informational, not financial advice.

Sustainability

Four indicators, the same on every profile. Each is a figure with its unit, year and source, or a plain statement that there is none.

  • Carbon

    Emissions intensity of the country's electricity grid.

    474gCO2e/kWh

    2025Reported

    Higher than 51% of the other 208 countries with a grid figure.

    • It describes the national grid, not mining or refining. Sites may run on their own power.

  • Water

    Share of the country's mine sites on record that lie in high or extremely high baseline water stress.

    No mine or brine site with a water-stress class is on record in this country.

    • Counted by site, not by tonnage: it is not a share of production.
    • "Arid and Low Water Use" is a class of its own in the source and is not counted as high.

  • Land

    Land visibly used by mining in the country, every commodity together.

    13km²

    2019Estimated

    Higher than 27% of the other 143 countries with a mapped mining area.

    • Rank 106 of 144 countries by area.
    • Mapped from satellite images for all mining in a country. It cannot be attributed to one material or one site.

  • Circularity

    Recycling's share of demand.

    Not available per country: recycling rates in the atlas are published per material, for the EU as a whole.

There is no overall score: the four figures measure different things and are not added up. How to read these figures

Risks & policy

Export controls in force

Compiled by USGS, effective January 2026. Not a live feed.

USGS Table 4 lists no export control by this country for the materials in the atlas.

Chokepoints at sea

The atlas has no record of which minerals pass through which sea passage, so no chokepoint figure is attached to this profile. Current ship counts for the main passages are on the Live page. Open the Live page

Gaps

What the atlas is missing for Japan

Computed from the data. Each line names a record that exists and one that does not. It marks missing data, not missing industry.

  • Listed as a cobalt refiner (2.5% of world output; Refining (IEA), 2025), but no processing plant is on record.
  • Listed as a nickel refiner (2.9% of world output; Refining (IEA), 2025), but no processing plant is on record.
  • Listed as a copper refiner (4.8% of world output; Refinery production, 2025), but no processing plant is on record.
  • Listed as a graphite refiner (3% of world output; Refined battery-grade supply (IEA), 2025), but no processing plant is on record.
  • Listed as a gallium refiner (0.3% of world output; Primary production, 2025), but no processing plant is on record.
  • Trade is partial by design: the atlas holds only each material's largest flows. 53 of them name this country.

Add dataAll gaps, across materials

Sources

Every source this profile uses, with its licence, the years its figures describe and how sure the figures are. Each chip on the profile opens the single record.

The mining-area figure comes from a share-alike source (CC-BY-SA-4.0). It is kept in its own file under that licence, apart from the rest of the atlas's data.

History & talk

Revision history and discussion are coming soon.

Every change to a figure will be listed here with its source, its credit and its review, and each profile will have a place to discuss it. Until then the data changes only when a source is updated, and every figure links to that source.

What can be contributed today

What we don't know yet

No open source we may use gives these figures. Nothing is estimated to fill them. If you know a public source, add it.

Type the name of a material, a country, a site or a company.