U.S. Army Displays Typhon Missile System in Japan as Tensions With China Grow

The U.S. Army on Monday revealed its mid-range missile system Typhon at a base in southwestern Japan as Tokyo and Washington stepped up deterrence amid rising tensions with China.

The system was showcased during the annual bilateral exercise Resolute Dragon, which began last week and involves more than 19,000 U.S. and Japanese troops in drills focused on maritime defense and littoral protection across Japan.

Typhon, a land-based launcher capable of firing the Standard Missile-6 (SM-6) and Tomahawk cruise missiles, was delivered last month to the U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni. The system first drew international attention after being deployed in the Philippines last year, a move that prompted criticism from China and Russia. Japanese public broadcaster NHK reported that Typhon is not expected to be fired during Resolute Dragon and that its deployment in Iwakuni is for the duration of the exercise, which ends Sept. 25.

"Employing multiple systems and different types of munitions, it is able to create dilemmas for the enemy," Col. Wade Germann, commander of the U.S. Army’s 3d Multi-Domain Task Force, said in a televised news conference from Iwakuni. The 3d MDTO is leading integration of the launcher into the forces participating in the drills.

U.S. and Japanese officials have emphasized that the exercise is intended to strengthen interoperability and collective defense capabilities in the face of what both countries describe as an increasingly assertive China. Japan has been accelerating its military buildup, including the development of a so-called strike-back capability involving mid- to long-range missiles as part of efforts to deter threats from China, as well as North Korea and Russia.

The Typhon display comes days after Japan’s Defense Ministry reported its first sighting of China’s newest aircraft carrier, Fujian, operating in the East China Sea just north of the Senkaku Islands, which are administered by Japan but claimed by Beijing as the Diaoyu. The proximity of advanced weapons systems and high-profile naval movements has underscored the security concerns on both sides of the Pacific.

U.S. military officials have portrayed Typhon as a flexible, land-based element intended to provide partners with additional options for air and missile defense and longer-range strike missions. The combination of SM-6 interceptors and Tomahawk cruise missiles gives the launcher both defensive and offensive reach, according to descriptions provided by U.S. defense personnel.

Chinese and Russian officials criticized earlier Typhon deployments, saying such moves increase instability in the region. U.S. and Japanese authorities counter that exercises and deployments are defensive in nature and designed to deter aggression by demonstrating the ability to defend sea lanes, islands and allied territory.

Resolute Dragon, which runs through Sept. 25, includes amphibious and maritime operations, air defense drills and command-and-control activities aimed at improving coordination across services and with Japanese Self-Defense Forces. Officials said live launches of systems such as Typhon are not scheduled for the exercise, and public safety restrictions and diplomatic considerations have shaped the scope of activities.

Analysts note that the public display of mid-range capabilities during bilateral drills reflects a broader shift in security posture across the Indo-Pacific, as allied nations pursue more integrated, longer-range options to respond to potential contingencies. For now, U.S. and Japanese officials say the activity is meant to reinforce deterrence while avoiding escalation through provocative action.

The deployment to Iwakuni and the visibility of the Typhon system are likely to factor into ongoing diplomatic and military calculations in the region, where movement of ships and aircraft and demonstrations of new systems continue to draw scrutiny from neighboring capitals.