The most reckless experiment in human history. It sounds like science fiction, but it's terrifyingly real: a nation is preparing to mine the deepest ocean floor. This coming January, Japan will begin the world's first test of full-scale deep-sea mining near Minamitori Island in the western Pacific. Until now, the abyssal plains of the ocean have only been visited by scientists. But this project, spearheaded by Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry and the Japan Org