Mineral oligopoly overshadows world's drive to decarbonization

Australia, 2 others account for nearly 90% of world's lithium production

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Brine pools and processing areas at a lithium mine in Chile. The country is one of the world's key producers of the material, used in EV batteries. © Reuters

AIKO MUNAKATA, KENJI ASADA and MISA HAMA, Nikkei staff writers

TOKYO -- Concerns are mounting in Japan over its access to materials considered key in the push toward decarbonization, with most production of mineral resources such as lithium and cobalt concentrated in just a handful of countries.

Any threat to supplies of metals used to churn out everything from batteries for electric vehicles to electricity poles could stall the drive for a greener society in Japan and other places such as Europe and the U.S.

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