Advanced Material Japan (AMJ) aims at generating a new sense of values as a venture corporation specialized rare metals. We regarded rare metals as a major business opportunity, established a trading company, AMJ, and celebrated its 7th anniversary this year. Rare metal panic continued for these seven years.

Several times of the price of all rare metal due to the resource nationalism in China and Russia, M&A by the metal major company and increased demand in newly developing countries including BRICs. I foresee continuing this paradigm shift not a transient phenomenon.

On the other hand, Japan is a resource poor country. And depends for almost rare metal resources on overseas. Although Japan gained a 60 percent or more share of the world’s electronic materials, components and processing materials, it is substance that any guarantee cannot be found in stable supply of the rare metal resources. And the technical accumulation is not enough for the upstream fields, such as resource exploration, mining and ore dressing. But it has just moved to resource reservation on national scale, although Japanese resource diplomacy is far behind.

In addition, COP15 was held last year in Copenhagen, and an environmental problem was discussed on a global scale. Although developing countries and developed nation will not same profit for environmental policy, it is no doubt to that the resource development and environmental measure will become increasingly a primary importance issue for human beings from now on.

Until now, although we have done our best for making a contribution to Japanese industry, we overlooked the point of view, the way of thinking from harmony to the symbiosis of human beings and nature. Although some resources are going to drain, in order to contribute as a leader in the world, it is important technology-oriented nation, Japan, to make effective use of precious resources with sufficient balance. I think we should do “harmony and symbiosis between resources development and environmental preservation” right now. We have a responsibility to carry out to supply stably the rare metal resources Japan needs against this background. And takes a step more forward, To harmonize with natural blessings on resources development sites in the world and to live together with the resource countries of rare metals are required to contribute globally and the Japanese growth.

From the beginning of 2010, the problem has occurred to the supply and demand of almost rare metals, and these international market prices has jumped suddenly. The supply obstacle is actualizing without exception also by-product, such as a rare earth, titanium, magnesium, tungsten, molybdenum, tantalum, niobium, nickel, cobalt, chromium, manganese, vanadium and indium. The our traders are questing rare metal resources to the hinterland in China, the desert in Central Asia and the Siberia end. While drawing on all of our idea, vision and policy, we will strongly promote harmony and symbiosis.

April, 2010