US pulls out missile system from Japan as Beijing-Tokyo row escalates

The development comes days after Japanese PM Sanae Takaichi's Taiwan comments triggered a diplomatic flare-up with China

The US on Monday (local time) withdrew its missile system capable of striking China from Japan, as tensions escalate between Tokyo and Beijing following recent remarks by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on Taiwan.

 

Citing the Japanese Defence Ministry, a South China Morning Post report said the Typhon Mid-Range Capability (MRC) missile launcher system, deployed at the Iwakuni base in Yamaguchi prefecture since September, has already been removed. It was initially placed there for the US–Japan joint exercise “Resolute Dragon 2025”, the report said.

What triggered China–Japan row?

 

The development came after Takaichi said Japan could militarily intervene in the event of a Taiwan Strait crisis. She described a Taiwan contingency involving the use of force as a “survival-threatening situation” for Japan, a classification that could enable Tokyo to undertake military action alongside US forces.

 

Her remarks saw diplomatic tensions spike, with Beijing condemning them as “seriously damaging bilateral ties and challenging post-war international order”.

 

China cancelled a series of exchange events, issued a travel warning for Japan, and is reportedly preparing further retaliatory steps after Takaichi and her cabinet refused to retract the statement.

What is Typhon missile system?

 

The US Typhon missile system can launch Tomahawk land-attack cruise missiles and SM-6 air defence missiles, with a range of up to 1,800 km (1,118 miles). If launched from Japan, these missiles can reach Beijing, Shanghai and several populous eastern Chinese provinces.

 

This was the first time Washington deployed the Mid-Range Capability in Japan, despite protests from Russia and China. The US said the deployment was needed to test rapid wartime transitions. At the time, Japan’s defence ministry called it temporary and said the system would be withdrawn within a week after the exercise ended on September 25.

 

However, the system remained in place until November 10, after residents of Yamaguchi and neighbouring Hiroshima prefectures reportedly petitioned for its removal. The two-month delay had sparked concerns that the deployment could become permanent.

 

A Typhon system was also deployed in the northern Philippines during a joint exercise last year and has remained there since. From that position, it can cover the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea.

China-Japan tensions

 

As tensions rise, China has increased its military presence around Japan’s outlying territories. According to The Guardian, Chinese coast guard vessels have passed through the waters around the Senkaku Islands, and military drones have flown near Japanese territory.

 

On November 16, the Chinese coast guard said its ships had carried out a “rights enforcement patrol” in the Senkaku waters, islands administered by Japan but claimed by China as the Diaoyu.