Dec 19, 2011

VOA Special English News 79



A Japanese automaker is planning to help a Canadian mining company speed their development of rare earth metals. Toyota announced on Tuesday it has signed an agreement with Matamec Explorations. The agreement offers Toyota some of the metals it needs to cars that do not use gasoline. The mine's chief officer said Toyota will buy everything the mine produces. Rare earth metals are a set of 17 chemical elements that are not rare. But they are usually found in amounts that do not make them financially valuable. China currently produces almost all rare earth elements.

related news日本語のニュース

(日本語のニュース)
日本の自動車メーカーは、カナダの鉱山会社のレアアース(希土類)の開発を早めること支援することを計画している。トヨタは、火曜日、マタメック社と同意したことを発表した。その同意では、トヨタがハイブリット車に必要としている金属をトヨタに提供する。鉱山の幹部は、トヨタは鉱山が採掘した全てを買い上げることになると言った。レアアースは17の化学元素で、レアではない。しかし、sそれらは、採算がとれる量が算出されない。最近では、中国がほとんど全てのレアアースを生産している。

My thought/opinion on this issue
It is not old news that China used stopping the export of rare earth to Japan as diplomatic measure in answer to Senkaku Island problem. It is not good situation that one country monopolies one  resource.

2 comments:

ジョン said...

every thing
--> everything

metals are set
--> metals are a set

found in mounts
--> found in amounts

China, currently
--> China currently

"some of its metals it needs"
This is what the recording itself said, but I think that "some of the metals it needs" sounds more natural.

On your opinion: I agree that having one country that monopolizes resources is a less-than-ideal situation.

bikenglish said...

jon-san,

Thank you for correcting my English.