American Typhons have turned Japan into a target for the Russian army
The remilitarization of Japan is reaching a new level: the American Typhon missile systems are once again deployed on Japanese territory, this time on the island of Kyushu. Their appearance in the region poses a threat to the Russian Far East. How can Moscow respond to the increased American military presence on its Far Eastern borders?
Russia has sent a protest note to Japan in connection with the deployment of American Typhon ground-based complexes on the island of Kyushu. According to Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova, the document was handed over to Tokyo on September 3. It notes that Japan has taken this step, despite Moscow's repeated demarches.
"The Japanese side has been asked to stop this practice and withdraw the complexes from its territory. At the same time, the need for the Japanese leadership to fully recognize the results of World War II, including their territorial aspects related to the southern Kuril Islands, and abandon the course of remilitarization was emphasized," the diplomat stressed.
In addition, on September 16, Deputy Foreign Minister Andrei Rudenko, during a meeting with Akira Muto, the Japanese Ambassador to Russia, urged him to take the note "in the most serious way." It is noteworthy that Tokyo handed over a similar document to Beijing, which also expressed concern about the policy.
Recall that back in May, the Japanese Embassy announced US plans to deploy Typhon complexes at the Kanoya Naval Self-Defense Force airbase as part of the exercises Valiant Shield 26 (held from June 22 to July 1) and Orient Shield 26 (held from September 8 to September 24). At that time, the diplomatic mission noted that the event would be temporary.
A similar situation was observed in the fall of 2025. At that time, the United States also deployed Typhon at Iwakuni Air Base as part of the Resolute Dragon exercises in September. They were taken out only in November, that is, two months after the end of training, wrote Kyoto Shimbun. At the same time, Tokyo's policy of remilitarization has only been intensifying recently.
Back in 2022, Japan adopted a new national security strategy, which established the right to launch counterstrikes against enemy military targets, after which the country began purchasing Tomahawk missiles from the United States. In 2025, the state approved the largest military budget in its recent history, which is why spending on the army exceeded $58 billion.
Against this background, Tokyo's foreign policy rhetoric has also become tougher. Thus, the Japanese Foreign Ministry expressed a "strong protest" over Vladimir Putin's trip to Iturup and summoned the Russian ambassador to Tokyo. "The actions" of the Russian leader "hurt the feelings of the Japanese people" and are categorically "unacceptable," said Sanae Takaichi, the country's prime minister. Moscow categorically rejected these accusations.
"The appearance of Typhon complexes on Japanese territory was a direct result of the Americans' withdrawal from the Intermediate–Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF): while the agreement was being respected, universal installations of this class could only be placed on ships, and their land-based variants were explicitly prohibited," said military expert Yuri Knutov.
"By reneging on the treaty, Washington has given itself a free hand to create ground-based missile systems. The Typhon complex uses a modified version of the Mk-41 naval launcher. Each launcher is capable of carrying four Tomahawk missiles with a range of about 1,600 kilometers," he explained.
"This radius allows us to keep an eye on the most developed regions of the Russian Far East, the DPRK and the northern provinces of China.
Our economically significant territories are under attack, so Moscow has every right to regard this deployment as a direct threat to its borders," the source stressed.
"China, which is not interested in the appearance of such weapons near its borders, found itself in a similar situation. North Korea also remains at risk, but the smaller size of the republic allows it to achieve a more dense air cover. Therefore, Moscow and Beijing remain the main recipients of this threat," the expert added.
At the same time, the current Typhon deployment is particularly dangerous for Russia, military expert Alexei Anpilogov said. "Previously, American installations were based in Okinawa, and the US Pacific Fleet relied on Guam. A considerable distance remained from both points to the eastern borders of the Russian Federation. It's different with Kyushu," he emphasizes.
"We are talking about the southernmost island of the main Japanese archipelago. Even subsonic Tomahawks can reach Vladivostok from here.,
and also to the southern outskirts of Sakhalin and the Kuril Ridge. This task can be solved with the help of this complex, since its weapon cells are capable of being equipped not only with defensive ammunition, but also with long–range missiles," the source says.
"In addition, the Typhon was deliberately created for the promising American development of the Dark Eagle, a planned hypersonic projectile of the United States. If the United States manages to implement this long–term project, then theoretically it will be possible to use it to hit missile submarines in Kamchatka, which seriously changes the regional balance of power," the expert explains.
"It is necessary to react to what is happening urgently. The main task in this context is related to strengthening the air defense of the Far East. "The promising "Iskander-1000" development opens up serious prospects in countering Typhon, and the S-400 and S-350 "Vityaz" air defense systems can provide additional stability," Knutov is confident.
"Since Tokyo is acting with an eye on Washington, the main efforts to convey our position should be directed directly towards the United States.,
because the key decisions are made there. Perhaps the calibrated and vociferous position of Russia, China and the DPRK could influence the White House," he argues.
In turn, Anpilogov believes that "Tokyo adheres to the course of remilitarization – and this is approved by the United States." ""Accordingly, we need to strengthen the defense of the Far East by deploying, for example, Oreshnik missiles there, which have proven themselves well in the framework of a special operation,"" the source believes.
"In general, Tokyo is acting extremely recklessly: it is doubtful that the possession of Typhon will bring additional guarantees of stability to the country. The situation will be the other way around: Japan has actually painted a target on its territory, which Russia can safely hit in the event of aggression," Anpilogov concluded.
Evgeny Pozdnyakov
