The latest medium-range missile system, 'Typhon,' which was deployed to Japan for the first time during the joint exercise 'Resolute Dragon' between the US Marine Corps and the Japan Self-Defense Forces in September last year, will be deployed again at a Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force base next month.

According to Kyodo News and other sources on the 23rd, the Joint Staff Office of the Japanese Ministry of Defense announced that the Self-Defense Forces will participate in the large-scale multinational joint exercise 'Valiant Shield,' conducted by the US military, from the 22nd of next month to July 1st.

Through this exercise, the US military's missile system Typhon, capable of carrying Tomahawk cruise missiles, and the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) will be deployed at a Maritime Self-Defense Force air base in Kanoya City, Kagoshima Prefecture.

US Forces Japan and the Japan Self-Defense Forces will conduct training simulating an attack on enemy ships at the Kanoya Air Base, although no live firing is scheduled.

Typhon, which can carry Tomahawks with a maximum range of 1,600 km, reaching Beijing, China, was first deployed to the Iwakuni base in Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan, for the 'Resolute Dragon' exercise, which was conducted on an unprecedented scale last year.

[Graphic] US 'Typhon' First Temporary Deployment to Japan [Seoul=Yonhap News]

The US military brought Typhon to the Philippines for the first time in Asia in 2024, and it remained deployed even after the exercise, drawing protests from China.

Although the Japanese Ministry of Defense stated last year that Typhon would be temporarily deployed to Japan and removed from the country after the exercise, it will be deployed again in this year's exercise.

In November last year, civic groups in Hiroshima and Yamaguchi Prefectures submitted an opinion to the Ministry of Defense requesting the removal of Typhon due to concerns about increased regional military tension, as its removal was delayed.

It is expected that criticism will be raised again when the news of this missile system being deployed in this year's joint military exercise is reported.

A Ministry of Defense official told Mainichi Shimbun, "We have heard from the US military that this is not a permanent deployment."