I may be wrong with my limited history knowledge but Japan never...

I may be wrong with my limited history knowledge but Japan never seemed in confrontation with the West. With China, it seems to be a confrontation on everything. With the current state of affairs, the West cannot rely on the supply chain from China even if it comes free. when as assumed, battery will be everything, you can't give control to someone who confronts everything. The same kind of game has been in play for Lyc in the last 10 years or more. but graphite or battery mineral is different from rare materials. you can manage rare material because it is needed in low volume but graphite is not low volume. so an alternate supply chain has to emerge.
Africa is ready to play a part here, similar to the Middle East 100 years ago. Possibly, most African countries will choose one or two materials and promote it to become part of the battery supply chain. Many people are grumpy here. The way Tanzania is building its infrastructure and it will soon become a dominant and reliable player in graphite. All in my opinion.