Japan and Vietnam on Saturday agreed to jointly develop rare earth for the supply of the elements needed to produce many modern technological devices. "Japan and Vietnam have agreed to strengthen cooperation in order to start production in 2013," Japanese Foreign Minister Koichiro Gemba said after meeting with Vietnamese counterpart Pham Binh Minh in Hanoi. Japan agreed to cooperate on exploration, mining and processing of rare earths starting with the Dong Pao project in northern Vietnam's Lai Chau province. The project would supply more than 20 per cent of Japan's needs, according to a report of DPA. Plans call for the production of 3,000 metric tons a year by 2013 and 7,000 tons by as early as 2014.
