"Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry unveiled the plan at a committee set up by the ministry to map out the country’s plans for the auto industry, which includes Toyota Motor Corp, Nissan Motor Co Ltd and Honda Motor Co Ltd. The ministry and automakers will discuss details of the new organization which is designed to help battery users secure long-term supplies of cobalt and buy clean materials with no issue of conflict minerals or child labor"
"The joint body will try to secure supplies through signing long-term contracts with existing global suppliers or investing in new development projects with financial support coming from the government"
Key take away(s):
Big players Toyota, Nissan, and Honda based in Japan
By March 2019 a joint procurement body should be setup to secure stable supplies of cobalt through long term contracts.