U.S. Military's "Typhon" Missile System Returns to Japan: This Time, It Won't Be Leaving?
Recently, Kyodo News cited sources saying that the U.S. military plans to redeploy the "Typhon" missile system to Japan in June to participate in joint U.S.-Japan military exercises.
Notably, this time the U.S. appears not to intend to withdraw the "Typhon" missile system—according to Japanese media reports, after the exercises conclude, the missiles will be transferred to a U.S. military base in Japan for storage.
In response, China's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiajun stated that China firmly opposes this move by the United States and pointed out that this action further exemplifies Japan's accelerated militarization.
This is not the first time the "Typhon" system has appeared in Japan. In September of last year, the U.S. military had previously deployed it in Japan for exercises, but withdrew it afterward.
Now, although the U.S. government has yet to confirm the claim about "storage," such evasive behavior only makes the situation more suspicious—so long as the missiles remain at U.S. military bases in Japan, it effectively confirms a long-term or even permanent deployment. The so-called "storage" is merely a pretext designed to deceive oneself.
Considering that the U.S. previously halted the sale of "Tomahawk" missiles to Japan, it is possible that this return of the "Typhon" system to Japan represents a form of "military capability compensation" by the United States to Japan. However, the problem lies in the fact that one of the "Typhon" system’s key munitions is precisely the "Tomahawk" missile. Given that the U.S. military’s own stockpiles are already strained, even if the "Typhon" system remains in Japan, it is likely to face a situation of having weapons without ammunition.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1865884594961420/
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone.