Minamitorishima is a small, remote island located almost two thousand kilometers east of Tokyo, marking the easternmost point of Japan.Initially sighted in 1694 and briefly claimed by various explorers, the island was officially incorporated into Japan in 1889 and administratively linked to the Tokyo prefecture.While the island itself is tiny and unremarkable, covering only about 1.5 square kilometers, its surrounding waters are rich in resources.

The island grants Japan a 370-kilometer Exclusive Economic Zone, including vast areas of ocean floor containing significant deposits of rare earth elements such as ytterbium, europium, and dysprosium, along with cobalt and nickel.These resources are crucial for electric technologies, where China currently dominates the global supply.Historically, Minamitorishima played a strategic role during World War II, hosting a Japanese military outpost and airstrip, later overseen by the U.S.until the mid-1990s.Today, Japan has reasserted control and installed missile batteries on the island, reflecting its ongoing strategic and economic value.This small, isolated island may influence both Japan's security strategy and the global supply of critical minerals.