US Army reveals Typhon missile system in Japan

TOKYO — The U.S. Army revealed Monday its mid-range missile system, Typhon , at one of its bases in Japan for the first time as the two allies stepped up their deterrence against China ‘s growing assertiveness in the region.

Typhon was featured during the annual bilateral exercise Resolute Dragon, which started last week, with more than 19,000 U.S. and Japanese troops participating in the exercise that focuses on maritime defense and littoral protection and held across Japan, according to the U.S. Department of Defense.

The land-based weapon, capable of firing the Standard Missile-6 and the Tomahawk cruise missiles that can hit targets on China’s eastern coasts, was delivered last month to the U.S. Marine Corps Base in Iwakuni, in southwestern Japan. Its exhibition in Japan follows its deployment in the Philippines last year, triggering criticisms from China and Russia.

The U.S. Army is not expected to fire Typhon or other advanced missile systems during the Resolute Dragon exercise, and its deployment in Iwakuni is only for the exercise ending on Sept. 25, Japanese public television NHK reported.

Japan has been rapidly accelerating its military buildup, especially the so-called strike-back capability with mid- to long-range missiles as a counter to missile and nuclear threats from China, as well as North Korea and Russia.

“Employing multiple systems and different types of munitions, it is able to create dilemmas for the enemy,” Col. Wade Germann, commander of the U.S. Army’s 3d Multi-Domain Task Force, said in a televised news conference from Iwakuni.

It also comes days after Japan’s Defense Ministry said it spotted China’s newest aircraft carrier Fujian for the first time in the East China Sea, in waters just north of Japanese-controlled disputed islands Senkaku, which Beijing also claims and calls the Diaoyu.

东京——周一，美国陆军在日本的一个基地首次公开展示了其中程导弹系统“台风”（Typhon）。此举标志着美日两国盟友加强了对中国在该地区日益增强的影响力的威慑。

据美国国防部称，台风导弹在上周开始的年度双边演习“坚定之龙”中亮相，超过 19000 名美日士兵参加了此次演习，演习重点是海上防御和近岸保护，并在日本各地举行。

这套陆基武器系统能够发射标准-6型导弹和可打击中国东部沿海目标的战斧巡航导弹，上个月已交付给位于日本西南部岩国市的美国海军陆战队基地。此前，该系统已于去年部署在菲律宾，引发了中国和俄罗斯的批评。此次在日本的展示正是对其部署的延续。

据日本公共电视台NHK报道，美国陆军预计不会在“坚定之龙”演习期间发射“台风”或其他先进导弹系统，其在岩国的部署也仅限于9月25日结束的演习。

日本一直在迅速加快军事建设，特别是所谓的反击能力，即拥有中远程导弹，以应对来自中国、朝鲜和俄罗斯的导弹和核威胁。

“它运用多种系统和不同类型的弹药，能够给敌人制造难题，”美国陆军第3多域特遣部队指挥官韦德·格尔曼上校在岩国举行的电视新闻发布会上说。

就在几天前，日本防卫省表示，他们在东海首次发现了中国最新的航空母舰福建号，地点位于日本控制的争议岛屿尖阁诸岛以北的海域，北京也声称对该岛屿拥有主权，并将其称为钓鱼岛。