The de facto export ban on rare-earth elements – often referred to as “industrial vitamins” – struck a terrible blow to Japanese companies, which rely on China for 97% of their supply. Among a variety of rare-earth elements, neodymium and dysprosium are widely used as a magnetic material for motors in environmentally friendly vehicles and home appliances, while erbium is used as a dopant in optical fibers and cerium as an abrasive for polishing liquid crystal display (LCD) glass.