Japan to send delegation to Greenland to evaluate rare earth extraction, Nikkei says

TOKYO- Japan is preparing to send a delegation to Greenland this summer to evaluate possible rare earth extraction, the Nikkei newswire reported on Sunday.

The visit would include officials from the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, trading companies and the Japan Organization for Metals and Energy Security, which would hold talks with local government officials, Nikkei added.

The Arctic island of Greenland, an autonomous territory of the Danish kingdom, has been in the spotlight lately. The White House in January said U.S. President Donald Trump was considering how to acquire the island, ‌setting off alarm bells among NATO allies in Europe. Talks have since been moved to a diplomatic track.

Greenland is of interest because of its strategic location and potentially rich rare earth reserves.

(Reporting by Jekaterīna Golubkova in Tokyo; Editing by Thomas Derpinghaus)