NGOs opposed to deep sea mining have successfully delayed the nascent industry, rallying 13 countries like France and Germany in calling to further delay commercial-scale production in international waters, relying on the power of the 1994 United Nations Law of the Sea treaty.
However, in the mineral-rich and deep coasts of Japan, the country is working to bring research seabed mining operations to a commercial scale by 2024 for strategically important rare earth minerals. In the case of international waters, the High Seas Treaty signed among U.N. members in March exempts deep-sea mining from environmental impact assessment (EIA) measures.