The U.S. has temporarily deployed its latest intermediate-range missile system, the ‘Typhoon,’ to Japan and released photos on the 15th. This is for the annual joint military exercise ‘Resolute Dragon’ being conducted by the U.S. and Japan from the 11th to the 25th, a two-week schedule. This marks the first deployment of the Typhoon to Japan, placing most of China within its strike range.
Late last month, in response to news of the Typhoon’s deployment to Japan, China warned, “Be cautious in words and actions,” while Russia and North Korea also protested, saying, “Do not provoke,” but the training has proceeded. Following China’s display of military strength and solidarity with Russia and North Korea during the Tiananmen military parade on the 3rd, the U.S. and Japan have intensified demonstrations of force against North Korea, China, and Russia, heightening tensions in the Asia-Pacific region.
The Typhoon, deployed by the U.S. at the Iwakuni, Rock National U.S. military base in Yamaguchi Prefecture, western Honshu, Japan, can launch the Tomahawk cruise missile (maximum range 2,500 km), a core strategic asset of the U.S. military, and the multi-purpose SM-6 missile. The Typhoon is a challenging asset for North Korea, China, and Russia to counter due to its rapid mobility and diverse armaments. Colonel Wade Jerman of the U.S. Marine Corps told reporters at the Iwakuni base, “We can impose dilemmas on the enemy by using various systems and diverse ammunition,” adding, “It can be rapidly deployed to the front lines if necessary.” If the Typhoon is deployed to Japan in a contingency, it can directly target not only the Korean Peninsula but also Beijing, Shanghai, Chongqing, and Shenzhen in China, as well as Vladivostok in Russia. This training involved 14,000 Japan Self-Defense Force personnel and 5,000 U.S. troops, making it the largest in history.
The U.S. deployment of the Typhoon to Japan for live-fire training is analyzed as a strategy to preemptively block China’s attempt to dominate the Pacific from the First Island Chain (Japan-Taiwan-Philippines). On the 3rd, during the Tiananmen military parade, China unveiled a range of advanced weapons, including the Dongfeng-5C, a multiple-warhead intercontinental strategic nuclear missile with a range of 20,000 km capable of striking the U.S. mainland and the entire world, and the ‘Guam Killer’ Dongfeng-26D missile (range 5,000 km). China has concentrated the deployment of Dongfeng-16 missiles (range 1,000 km), which can target U.S. military bases in South Korea and Japan, in the Shandong Peninsula. In response to this military expansion by China, the U.S. deployed the Typhoon to the Philippines in April of last year. In July, it deployed the latest hypersonic missile ‘Dark Eagle’ (range 2,800 km) along with the Typhoon to northern Australia, marking the first deployment outside the U.S. mainland.
Grant Newsham, a retired U.S. Marine Corps colonel and researcher at the Japan Forum for Strategic Studies (JFSS) who has worked with the Japan Self-Defense Forces, told Reuters, “In the past, such a deployment would have been rejected by U.S. and Japanese officials due to concerns over Chinese backlash,” adding, “Now, Chinese backlash is less of an issue.” This implies that the U.S. no longer considers Chinese backlash as the U.S.-China competition for Pacific hegemony is already underway.
Chinese authorities have not issued an official statement regarding this deployment of the Typhoon to Japan. However, as the Tomahawk missiles launched by the Typhoon system have proven their effectiveness in real combat, such as the Iraq War and the operation to defeat the Islamic State (IS), serving as a ‘signal of U.S. military intervention,’ future backlash from North Korea, China, and Russia is possible.
As military tensions in the Asia-Pacific region escalate, arms races among countries are expected to intensify. China’s defense budget this year increased by 7.2 percent compared to the previous year. Taiwan also increased its defense budget for next year by 20 percent (over 3 percent of its gross domestic product) compared to this year. Japan’s defense budget for next year exceeds 88 trillion Korean won, marking the largest military expansion since the end of World War II. South Korea has also set its defense budget for next year at 66.3 trillion Korean won, an 8.2 percent increase from this year.
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