Mixes the mercury and rare earths that make metal halide and CFL lamps work.

FORBES: Hard Drive Production Fall Could Hit PC Shipments

To safeguard continuing access to rare earths, and to ensure production capability, Hitachi Metal has planned by 2013, and TDK in cooperation with Showa Denko have planned by 2014, to manufacture the magnets in China in (presumably obligatory) joint ventures with China partners.

FORBES: Dual-Use Technology, Japan-China Economic Integration, and the New Japanese NSC

Information provided by Metal Pages, a news site that focuses on non-ferrous metals, ferro alloys and rare earths, indicated that rare earth elements exports have dropped 65% in 2011 and that China has only exported 11, 000 metric tons of rare earths through the first three quarters of the year.

FORBES: 2012 Outlook: Uncertainty Continues For Rare Earths Prices, China Still Major Player