The U.S. military is sending its powerful Typhon midrange missile system to Kagoshima Prefecture for joint exercises with the Self-Defense Forces, as the allies continue to smash taboos long associated with such deployments.
The decision to send the land-based Typhon system to Kyushu for the first time is seen as part of a more robust allied approach to countering China’s growing military assertiveness in the region.
The missile system, which can fire Tomahawk cruise missiles as far as 1,600 kilometers — effectively putting parts of China within striking distance — will initially take part in the Valiant Shield exercises from the Maritime Self-Defense Force’s Kanoya Air Base in Kagoshima Prefecture. That exercise runs from Monday through July 1.
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