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Japanese MP’s claim China eyes Antarctic ‘treasure trove’ dismissed

A Japanese lawmaker’s claim that China has its eyes on “a treasure trove” of resource wealth hidden beneath the Antarctic ice sheet has been dismissed…

By Samantha Johnson / June 3, 2026
A Japanese lawmaker’s claim that China has its eyes on “a treasure trove” of resource wealth hidden beneath the Antarctic ice sheet has been dismissed by a polar law expert as a misreading of international obligations.

But the claims made in parliament by Mitsuhiro Yokota, a member of the Japan Innovation Party, have also raised questions about what might happen to the world’s last great wilderness in future.

“Beneath Antarctica lies a treasure trove of oil, natural gas, coal, iron ore, gold and platinum,” Yokota told a Foreign Affairs Committee in the Diet on May 15.

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“China naturally wants to acquire Antarctic resources. After all, they are talking about taking resources from the moon.”

Antarctica is a lucrative area for countries like China and Russia

Mitsuhiro Yokota, Japanese lawmaker

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