Overview
- Tokyo confirmed that the U.S. will temporarily station the Typhon ground-based missile launcher at Kanoya Air Base and bring HIMARS for joint drills with Japan’s forces.
- The deployment covers Valiant Shield, scheduled for June 22 to July 1, and a second exercise in September and will be followed by storage at a U.S. base in Japan.
- Japan’s defence ministry says no live-fire will take place at Kanoya and the U.S. plans to remove the Typhon from the base by mid‑October.
- Typhon can carry long-range Tomahawk cruise missiles and SM-6 interceptors while HIMARS can launch multiple rockets or a single ATACMS with roughly 300 km range, giving the units substantial reach.
- The announcement revives local opposition after a September Typhon stay that drew protests and withdrawal in November, and Beijing has publicly condemned the redeployment as destabilising.