A Japanese delegation, led by the Japanese entrepreneur Masato Sagawa and researchers from Tohoku University and the Japanese Embassy in Sweden, visited the mine at the invitation of the Ytterby Mine Association.

Dr Sagawa is the inventor of the sintered neodymium–iron–boron (NdFeB) permanent magnet — the strongest permanent magnet to date. It has revolutionised the field of magnetics and had a major positive impact on society, from electronics and electric motors to renewable energy. In the 1970s, Sagawa was tasked with improving the mechanical strength of what was then the strongest permanent magnet, samarium–cobalt (SmCo), and made major advances in the field.

The delegation travelled from Ytterby to Vaxholm by water taxi — a little more comfortable than a kayak on a sunny day with temperatures around freezing.