Atlantic Council backs allied rare earth supply networks over national champions, as Europe quietly builds resilience through France, Estonia, and Japan
Company Profile
Iwatani
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About Iwatani
Iwatani Corporation is a publicly listed Japanese industrial gas, energy and materials company with headquarters in Osaka and Tokyo, listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange (TSE: 8088). Founded in 1930, Iwatani operates across integrated energy (LPG, LNG), industrial gases and machinery, and a materials division that has imported and supplied rare earths to the Japanese market since the 1990s. Through its Resources & Advanced Materials business it trades light, medium and heavy rare earth oxides processed in Japan under quality-guarantee schemes. In March 2025 Iwatani and JOGMEC, through their jointly established company Japan France Rare Earths, decided to invest up to 110 million euros in equity and debt in France’s Caremag, and the two signed a long-term contract for 50% of the heavy rare earths Caremag produces. The company also supplies hydrogen.
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REEx Intelligence
Recent Articles
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Carester is a pioneering rare earth processing company in Lyon, developing innovative recycling technologies and establishing Europe's first advanced rare eart…
Carester's Caremag project secures €216M to build Europe's first large-scale rare earth recycling plant, reducing dependency on Chinese imports.
