By Li Zhe and Liu Yisi
According to foreign media reports, the US Army plans to deploy the Typhon Mid-Range Capability (MRC) missile system in Japan during the joint exercise Resolute Dragon 2025 with the Japan Self-Defense Forces (JSDF) from September 11 to 25. It’s reported that the system arrived at the US Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni in Japan as of August.
Exercise "Resolute Dragon" is an annual bilateral joint exercise between the US Marine Corps and the JSDF, which started in 2021. Initially, the exercise was mainly conducted in Hokkaido and the northeastern part of Honshu, focusing on traditional amphibious warfare training. In recent years, the exercise has gradually shifted to Kyushu and the southwestern islands of Okinawa, with its strategic orientation becoming increasingly evident. According to the plan, about 12,000 personnel from the JSDF and 1,900 US troops will take part in this year's exercise, which will cover multiple locations, including Kyushu, Hokkaido, Okinawa, and Iwo Jima. The scale is further expanded compared with previous years.
In addition to focusing on highly targeted subjects such as remote-island defense and amphibious landing operations, the two sides will also temporarily deploy the Typhon system in Japan. It is learned that the Typhon intermediate-range missile system is a strategic offensive weapon. It can launch Standard-6 missiles and Tomahawk cruise missiles to strike a variety of targets within a range of 500–2,000 kilometers, performing both sea-denial missions and precision strikes ashore. In April last year, the US deployed the Typhon system to the Philippines under the pretext of joint exercises and subsequently left it in place. In July this year, the system was used in Australia to fire Standard-6 missiles that struck a maritime target. The US Marine Corps air station involved in this deployment is located in Yamaguchi Prefecture on Honshu, about 300 kilometers from the Korean Peninsula and over 1,000 kilometers from Russia's Far East. If the Typhon system becomes permanently stationed in the area, its range would be sufficient to pose a substantive security threat to countries across the Asia-Pacific region.
The US seeks to strengthen forward deterrence in the Indo-Pacific through upgrading the deployment of the Typhon system. Aiming at the so-called major-country competition and preparing for future high-end warfare, the US has in recent years intensified forward military posturing along the First Island Chain, hoping to rely on allied forward bases to build operational strike nodes and sharpen its ability for direct intervention in key areas. Taking the Army multi-domain task forces deployed dynamically in Japan and the Philippines as an example, they integrate missile, electronic-war and cyber capabilities. By collecting operational-pattern data in peacetime and operating in concert with the Typhon missile system in wartime, they serve as the first wave of intervention forces on the front line. In addition to the Typhon system, reports indicate that the US is also considering temporarily deploying the Navy Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System (NMESIS) to a military base on Ishigaki Island, Okinawa, during the exercise. During this year's US-Philippines Balikatan exercises, the US Marine Corps already temporarily deployed a new unmanned anti-ship missile launch system of NMESIS to the Philippines. All signs suggest that the US intends to deploy missile systems in both the Philippines in the south and Japan in the north to rapidly field a range of capabilities in key areas, including anti-ship, air-defense, and strike against enemy targets.
For Japan, allowing the US to deploy intermediate-range missile systems may appear on the surface as a "return" for Washington's security commitment, but in reality, it conceals Tokyo's attempt to leverage US power to enhance its own remote island defense operations capability, thereby seeking a strategic shift from "passive defense" to "proactive offense." At present, Japan not only plans to deploy an improved version of the Type-12 missile with a range of about 1,000 kilometers, but is also accelerating the research, development, and deployment of an upgraded version of the "hypersonic glide vehicle," while introducing Tomahawk cruise missiles. All of these moves further underscore its urgent desire to break away from existing military constraints.
The US and Japan, driven by their respective interests, are seeking to introduce intermediate-range missile systems into East Asia, a move that gravely undermines regional peace and stability. The regional countries will not accept such retrogressive practices, nor will they stand by while their security interests are harmed or threatened. This year marks the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-fascist War. Japan should take a hard look at its history of aggression, follow the path of peaceful development, and act prudently in military and security areas. The US should also draw lessons from history and devote more effort and resources to doing the right thing rather than the other way around.
(The author is from the Chinese PLA Academy of Military Sciences)