BBC: Vietnam has agreed to help supply Japan with rare earths, as Tokyo tries to reduce its dependence on China. The two countries have also agreed on greater nuclear cooperation, with Hanoi virtually awarding Japan contracts to build two reactors in Vietnam. China currently dominates the market in rare earth minerals, which are vital in the manufacture of high-tech goods. But it has blocked shipments to Japan because of a row over the ownership of islands in the East China Sea. Japan’s Prime…