稀土钇的全球出口已陷入停滞，造成一名官员所描述的“供需紧张”，据《金融时报》报道，东京距离耗尽这种关键金属仅剩数月。
Global exports of the rare earth yttrium have stalled, causing what an official has described as a “supply-demand crunch,” with the Financial Times reporting that Tokyo is months away from running out of the critical metal.
钇对于制造消费电子产品、LED、航空发动机、半导体生产设备以及各种工业产品至关重要。
Yttrium is essential for manufacturing consumer electronics, LEDs, aviation engines, semiconductor production equipment and a variety of industrial products.
根据国际能源署的数据，中国占稀土开采产量的近三分之二，占全球精炼产量的92%。
China accounts for almost two-thirds of rare-earth mining production and 92% of global refined output, according to the International Energy Agency.
“钇的出口不仅对日本，而且在全球范围内都已停滞，造成供需紧张和价格飙升，这是事实，”一名产业省官员周三在匿名条件下表示。“对日本的出口有所下降，包括货物运输延误，全球出口量本身也很低，”该官员表示。
“It is true that exports of yttrium have stalled not only to Japan but worldwide, causing a supply-demand crunch and soaring prices,” the industry ministry official said Wednesday, on condition of anonymity. “Exports to Japan have decreased, including delays in shipments, and the global volume itself is low,” the official said.
这些言论是在《金融时报》报道称日本可能在“数月”内耗尽这种关键材料的供应之后发表的。
The comments came after the Financial Times reported that Japan could exhaust its supply of the critical material in “months.”
高市早苗首相去年7月表示，钇“在全球范围内稀缺”，是“对我们国家很重要的稀土”。根据中国海关数据，9月份向日本出口的氧化钇为4000千克，而去年同期为51000千克。
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said in July that yttrium was “globally scarce” and was “an important rare earth for our country.”According to Chinese customs data, exports of yttrium oxide to Japan amounted to 4,000 kilograms in September, compared with 51,000 kilograms in the same period the previous year.
该产业省官员表示，东京正在与美国和欧洲国家就关键矿产资源和稀土（包括钇）开展合作。
The industry ministry official said Tokyo was working with the United States and European nations on critical mineral resources and rare earths, including yttrium.
自高市早苗去年11月暗示日本可能在任何针对自治台湾的攻击中进行军事干预以来，北京一直在加大对东京的压力。中国将台湾视为其领土，并未排除使用武力夺取台湾。
Beijing has intensified pressure on Tokyo since Takaichi hinted last November that Japan could intervene militarily in any attack on self-ruled Taiwan. China views Taiwan as its territory and has not ruled out taking it by force.
“中国根据法律法规对日本实施了出口管制，目的是遏制日本重新军事化以及拥有核武器的企图，”中国外交部发言人毛宁在周三的例行新闻发布会上表示。日本的当前国防计划并不包括获取核武器。
“China imposed export controls on Japan in accordance with laws and regulations, with the aim of curbing Japan’s attempts at remilitarization and possessing nuclear weapons,” Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning told a regular briefing on Wednesday. Japan’s current defense plans do not include acquiring nuclear weapons.
据《金融时报》报道，日本已请求美国政府和美国企业向中国施压，要求其放宽对稀土产品的出口管制，以避免“对全球汽车、国防和芯片产业造成严重冲击”。
Japan has asked the U.S. government and American businesses to press China to ease rare-earth export controls to avoid “severe disruption to the global automotive, defense and chip industries,” the Financial Times report said.
该报纸还指出，美国的国防供应链依赖于使用钇元素的日本零部件。
U.S. defense supply chains rely on Japanese components that use yttrium, the newspaper said.