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By Ryan Chan
China News Reporter
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Japan's Defense Ministry confirmed to Newsweek that the United States is "preparing for the retrograde" of the Typhon missile system—capable of striking China from the allied country—following a military exercise between American and Japanese forces.
Newsweek has reached out to the U.S. Forces Japan for further comment via email. The Chinese Foreign Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Why It Matters
The Typhon Mid-Range Capability system is one of the recently fielded U.S. weapons designed to counter China's growing military capabilities, along with the Long-Range Hypersonic Weapon. Both are operated by the U.S. Army as part of its modernization efforts, aiming to improve the service's ability to provide "long-range precision fires."
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During a bilateral war game, code-named Resolute Dragon 25, held last month across Japan, the Typhon missile system was deployed at Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, where it can strike targets along China's northern, eastern and southeastern coastlines using 1,000-mile-range Tomahawk cruise missiles, according to a Newsweek map.
What To Know
Shimbun Akahata, a newspaper published by the Japanese Communist Party, reported October 19 that the U.S. Army has yet to withdraw the Typhon missile system after the exercise, questioning whether the U.S. intends to deploy it in Japan "permanently."
According to the report, the local government in Iwakuni was previously informed by the Chugoku-Shikoku Defense Bureau—a local branch of Japan's Defense Ministry—that the American missile system would be withdrawn one week after the war game.
Exercise Resolute Dragon 25 was held on September 11-25, divided into a classified command post drill on September 11-17 and field training events the following days.
The report also cited the Typhon missile system's deployment in the Philippines as an example. It was deployed there in April last year for drills, but Washington and Manila later decided to extend the deployment indefinitely—a move denounced by Beijing.
In response to Newsweek's inquiry, the press office of Japan's Defense Ministry said in an email on Thursday that the deployment of the Typhon missile system "is conducted only temporarily for the exercise and is not intended to be a permanent deployment."
"The Government of Japan has also received the explanation from the U.S. that they are not considering permanent deployment of the Typhon to Japan at the moment."
Last month, China said it "strongly deplores and firmly opposes" the deployment of the U.S. missile system in Japan, warning that the move would undermine the security interests of other countries and pose a substantial threat to regional strategic security.
A spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry urged the U.S. and Japan to "correct the wrongful move" and withdraw the Typhon missile system as soon as possible.
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Ahead of Exercise Resolute Dragon 25, which rehearsed contingency operations, the U.S. military described the Typhon missile system as "a long-range sea denial and standoff strike platform" that provides a layered and integrated fires capability.
In addition to the Tomahawk cruise missile, the Typhon missile system can launch the Standard Missile-6, which has a range of 290 miles and is designed to conduct anti-air and anti-surface warfare operations as well as ballistic missile defense missions.
What People Are Saying
Japan's Defense Ministry said in an email to Newsweek on Thursday: "The Ministry of Defense has received the explanation from the U.S. that U.S. Forces Japan is currently preparing for the retrograde of the Typhon. We refrain from commenting on when it will be because it is related to the details of the U.S. operations."
Lin Jian, spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, said at a press conference on September 16: "The U.S. and Japan need to earnestly respect other countries' security concerns and play a positive role for regional peace and stability, not the other way around … We urge Japan to take a hard look at its history of aggression, follow the path of peaceful development, and act prudently in military and security areas."
What Happens Next
It remains unclear whether the U.S. Army will deploy the Typhon missile system to other locations across the western Pacific, bolstering its deterrence against China.
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