Tokyo Foundation Presents '13 Trillion Yen Treasure Mountain' Policy Proposal to METI Minister Akazawa
The Tokyo Foundation submitted a policy proposal to the Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry, advocating for a 'Domestic Resource Strategy' that utilizes urban mines to build a circular economy and enhance economic security.
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- 📰 Published: April 1, 2026 at 02:40
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The Tokyo Foundation for Policy Research (Minato-ku, Tokyo; President: Mieko Nakabayashi) submitted a policy proposal titled 'Turning Waste into Wealth: Japan's 13 Trillion Yen Opportunity' to Ryosei Akazawa, Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry, on Tuesday, March 31.
This proposal aims to create a new foundation for growth that prevents the outflow of national wealth and leads to a 'strong economy.' Anticipating resource risks symbolized by the 'second rare earth crisis' due to unstable supply and demand, the proposal advocates a 'Domestic Resource Strategy' starting from a circular economy that utilizes the waste accumulated domestically (urban mines) as a 'treasure mountain' of domestic resources. Furthermore, since the outflow of national wealth due to overseas reliance on resources, including not only mineral resources but also imported fossil fuels, amounts to a massive sum, the Foundation simultaneously submitted another policy proposal, 'Turning Waste into Wealth: Japan's 38 Trillion Yen Opportunity.' This emphasizes the necessity of building a resource and energy-circulating society through a 'Japanese-style' circular economy that physically and economically circulates all domestic resources.
Presenting 'Domestic Resource Strategy' Policy Proposal to METI Minister from the Perspective of Economic Security
Under the research theme of 'Building a Resource and Energy Circulating Society' to realize a transition to a new social system amidst population decline, the Foundation is studying rational and realistic data-driven solutions.
This research regards Japan's urban mines, marine resources, renewable energy, and excellent Japanese technology as abundant domestic resources. It appeals to 'tackle population decline, economic security issues, and climate change by building a "Japanese-style" circular economy that circulates and utilizes all domestic resources,' presenting a vision to make the Japanese archipelago a domestic resource hub by improving the self-sufficiency rate of resources and energy.
The current proposal highlights the renewed recognition of economic security risks in procuring mineral resources, such as China using rare earths as a diplomatic card again in the US-China trade war unfolding under the second Trump administration. It also views the outflow of approximately 13 trillion yen in national wealth through the import of mineral resource raw materials and products in 2024 as a critical issue, making recommendations for the full-scale utilization of urban mines, which are domestic resources.
This proposal aims to create a new foundation for growth that prevents the outflow of national wealth and leads to a 'strong economy.' Anticipating resource risks symbolized by the 'second rare earth crisis' due to unstable supply and demand, the proposal advocates a 'Domestic Resource Strategy' starting from a circular economy that utilizes the waste accumulated domestically (urban mines) as a 'treasure mountain' of domestic resources. Furthermore, since the outflow of national wealth due to overseas reliance on resources, including not only mineral resources but also imported fossil fuels, amounts to a massive sum, the Foundation simultaneously submitted another policy proposal, 'Turning Waste into Wealth: Japan's 38 Trillion Yen Opportunity.' This emphasizes the necessity of building a resource and energy-circulating society through a 'Japanese-style' circular economy that physically and economically circulates all domestic resources.
Presenting 'Domestic Resource Strategy' Policy Proposal to METI Minister from the Perspective of Economic Security
Under the research theme of 'Building a Resource and Energy Circulating Society' to realize a transition to a new social system amidst population decline, the Foundation is studying rational and realistic data-driven solutions.
This research regards Japan's urban mines, marine resources, renewable energy, and excellent Japanese technology as abundant domestic resources. It appeals to 'tackle population decline, economic security issues, and climate change by building a "Japanese-style" circular economy that circulates and utilizes all domestic resources,' presenting a vision to make the Japanese archipelago a domestic resource hub by improving the self-sufficiency rate of resources and energy.
The current proposal highlights the renewed recognition of economic security risks in procuring mineral resources, such as China using rare earths as a diplomatic card again in the US-China trade war unfolding under the second Trump administration. It also views the outflow of approximately 13 trillion yen in national wealth through the import of mineral resource raw materials and products in 2024 as a critical issue, making recommendations for the full-scale utilization of urban mines, which are domestic resources.