Japan's Dysprosium Imports Fell 82%, and Chip-Equipment Makers Report No Major Disruption Yet

Import volumes and prices

Japan imported 13 tons of dysprosium in 1H26, down 82% from the same period in 2024. Yttrium imports fell 74% to 204 tons, and European dysprosium prices are running at roughly seven times pre-control levels.

TrendForce also reports that shortages have not yet become a significant bottleneck for Japan's chip-equipment sector, so the fall in volumes and the price increases haven't yet turned into a production problem there.

How it reaches your supply chain

Rare earths rarely appear on a BOM as a line item. They come embedded in magnets in actuators and motors, phosphors and coatings, RF and optical assemblies, and the semiconductor manufacturing equipment your suppliers depend on.

In the equipment path, a dysprosium constraint would show up first as a tool delivered late, and later as a fab ramp that slips and tighter allocation. The early signs are more likely to be export licences taking longer, or an approved material becoming unavailable in a qualified grade, than an outright part shortage.

US recovery projects are small for now

The US Department of Energy selected nine critical-minerals recovery projects totalling $162 million on August 19, covering scandium, copper, antimony and rare earth elements. They are bench- and pilot-scale projects, which improve the medium-term options without changing supply over your next four quarters.