Rare earth metals, used in a wide range of products, are making headlines these days amid an attempt by China, which controls 97 percent of their global production, to allegedly halt exports to Japan over a territorial spat.
Before shipments reportedly resumed Wednesday, manufacturers in industries signifying the heart and soul of the Japanese economy went into temporary shock because of their heavy reliance on the hard-to-find minerals.
Here are some basic facts about rare earth metals:
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