The US military will deploy the latest medium-range missile system "Typhoon" to Japan from the 11th to the 25th of this month, US military news outlet USNI reported on the 1st (local time).

The Typhoon can be equipped with Tomahawk cruise missiles and SM-6 interceptor missiles, among others. In response, China and Russia have strongly protested the observation of the Typhoon's deployment to US military bases in Japan.

According to USNI, the Typhoon will be deployed at Iwakuni Airfield and its vicinity during joint training between the US Marine Corps and the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force.

This will be the first time the Typhoon is deployed to Japan. However, live firing will not occur, and it is scheduled to be withdrawn after the training is completed.

USNI reported that the Japanese Ministry of Defense received notification that the US military has no plans for a permanent deployment of the Typhoon to Japan.

Ahead of this exercise, in addition to the deployment of the Typhoon, another point of attention is the "indefinite" extension of the stationing of six US Marine Corps MQ-9 Reaper unmanned aerial vehicles.

The MQ-9 Reaper has been operating at Kadena Air Base in Okinawa since August of last year. It is performing surveillance and reconnaissance missions in an unarmed state.

Separately, eight US Air Force MQ-9s are operating at Kadena Air Base. The US Navy also periodically operates MQ-4 Triton unmanned aircraft.

The expansion of surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities and the deployment of medium-range missiles can be seen as a multi-purpose maneuver targeting North Korea, China, and Russia in the East China Sea.

USNI pointed out, "Russian and Chinese ships and aircraft regularly transit this area, and both countries conduct joint operations such as combined voyages and bomber flights. The East China Sea is also an area where vessels illegally transport resources and materials in violation of sanctions against North Korea."

USNI added that a joint statement from the Japanese Ministry of Defense and Ministry of Foreign Affairs explained that the indefinite stationing of unmanned reconnaissance aircraft is to "ensure that abnormal actions by vessels and ships of neighboring countries are not overlooked by operating a large number of aircraft in close proximity (to China)."

US Tomahawk Missile [EPA Yonhap News Photo]

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