US Removes Missile System from Japan Amidst Rising Tensions โขwith China Over โฃTaiwan
Iwakuni, Japan – The USโข Army’s Typhon Mid-range Capability (MRC)โ missile โฃlauncher system has been withdrawn from the Iwakuni base in Yamaguchi prefecture, the Japanese Defense Ministry โconfirmed Monday, as a diplomatic dispute between Beijing and Tokyo intensifies over potential japanese military intervention in a Taiwan Strait conflict.
The removal of โthe Typhon system,โข deployed in September for the US-Japan “Resolute Dragon 2025” joint exercise, follows recent โremarks by Japanese politicianโ Sanae Takaichi suggesting Japan could intervene militarily should a crisis erupt across the โTaiwan Strait. This statement has triggered a sharp rebuke from Beijing,โ escalating already strained relations. The Typhon system is โcapable of launching Tomahawk land-attack cruise missiles and SM-6 air defenceโ missiles with a range of up to โ1,800km (1,118 miles), placing major Chinese cities like Beijing and Shanghai within its reach if launched from Japan.
The deployment of the Typhon โsystem marked the first time the US had installed the Mid-Range Capability in Japan, citing the need to test rapid wartime transitions. Both China and Russia had previously protested the system’s presence at the Iwakuni base. The โJapanese โDefence Ministry stated the deployment was alwaysโค intended to be temporary,with the system โคscheduled for withdrawal within a week of the exercise’s conclusion on September 25.