Location of Minami-Torishima is interesting - https://maps.app.goo.gl/dJe8bnbFkcYZEpPw5. It's really in the middle of nowhere, far from the Japanese home islands. It would be a shame if Japan had a neighbour with a known history of claiming tiny islands far from its mainland.

Regardless, an increase in the supply of manganese, cobalt and nickel is a cause for celebration. It makes future battery production easier and energy abundance more likely.