US Deploys Typhon Missile System in Japan Amid Tensions With China

The deployment triggered a response from Beijing.

The U.S. Army’s 3rd Multi-Domain Task Force sinks a maritime target with an SM-6 during Exercise Talisman Sabre 25 in the Northern Territory, Australia, on July 16, 2025. Sgt. Brian A. Stippey/U.S. Marine Corps

The U.S. Army has deployed its midrange Typhon missile system to Japan for the first time, as the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) continued to flex its military muscle.

The Typhon system was unveiled on Sept. 15 at Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, on the southwestern tip of Japan’s main island. It arrived at the base as part of this year’s Resolute Dragon exercise, running until Sept. 25 and involving around 14,000 Japanese troops and 5,200 U.S. personnel.