Japan’s trading house Marubeni Corporation has reached an agreement to invest A$15 million (about US$9.75 million) in Australia’s RZ Resources, in connection with the Copi mineral-sands mine project in New South Wales.

The deal grants Marubeni an option to acquire up to a five-percent equity stake and certain marketing rights, contingent on the project’s confirmed feasibility.

RZ Resources, which holds the Copi project as well as a mineral-separation and processing plant in Brisbane, intends to produce heavy-mineral sands including rutile, ilmenite, zircon and monazite.

These feedstocks are essential for industries spanning aerospace, defence and permanent magnets.

The arrangement follows an earlier strategic farm-in by Japan’s JX Advanced Metals in June, which acquired a 5 per cent interest in the Copi project and marketing rights.

Marubeni, JX and RZ will coordinate on advancing project development, upgrading the Brisbane mineral-separation facility, and refining the definitive feasibility study and environmental-impact statement for Copi.

The timing of this transaction aligns with the broader strategic push by Japan and its Western allies to shore up critical-minerals supply chains beyond China, which has increasingly restricted exports of key resources.

The Australian Government’s Critical Minerals Strategy 2023–2030 provides the policy backdrop for these developments.

Project engineering and planning continue apace: RZ Resources recently engaged engineering group Ausenco Engineering to deliver the definitive feasibility study for Copi, covering mining, processing and infrastructure scopes.

The company states the mine life is projected beyond 20 years, and that its Brisbane facility is the only large-scale mineral-separation plant on Australia’s east coast.

Backers in Australia and abroad are aligning: the Export Finance Australia and the Export‑Import Bank of the United States (EXIM) have provided letters of support and financing frameworks for RZ’s Copi project, positioning it as a cornerstone of allied supply-chain diversification.

While implementation risks remain—including permitting, environmental approvals and sustaining a high-quality processing flow sheet—the Marubeni commitment signals strong international confidence in Australia’s role as a reliable supplier of critical minerals.

The equity option and marketing rights provide Marubeni with direct exposure to future prices and supply-chain control.

For RZ Resources, the transaction tightens its alignment with major Asian and allied customers, accelerates its development timetable and opens pathways for funding ramp-up.

With global demand for mineral-sands feedstocks rising, the Copi project is now advancing from exploration into the pivotal execution phase.

The success of this alliance will be closely watched by industry participants and governments alike as critical-minerals strategies become ever more central to geopolitical and industrial policy frameworks.