A US missile system that could strike Beijing has been withdrawn from Japan, Japanese media reported on Monday, amid sharply escalating tensions triggered by the Japanese prime minister’s recent remarks on Taiwan.
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The Typhon Mid-Range Capability (MRC) missile launcher system of the US Army, deployed to the Iwakuni base in Yamaguchi prefecture since September for the US-Japan “Resolute Dragon 2025” joint exercise, was already removed, the Japanese Defence Ministry confirmed on Monday.
The news came as the diplomatic row between Beijing and Tokyo rapidly escalated over Sanae Takaichi’s comment that Japan could militarily intervene in a Taiwan Strait contingency.
The Typhon missile system is capable of launching Tomahawk land-attack cruise missiles and SM-6 air defence missiles with a range of up to 1,800km (1,118 miles) that can reach Beijing, Shanghai and many of the most populous provinces in eastern China if launched from Japan.
It was the first time the US installed the Mid-Range Capability in Japan, citing the need for testing rapid wartime transitions. China, as well as Russia, had protested the deployment to the Iwakuni base.
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At the deployment, the Japanese Defence Ministry said it was temporary, and the Typhon would be withdrawn within around a week after the exercise’s conclusion on September 25.