U.S. sends Typhon missile system to Kagoshima, China protests

The United States has deployed the Typhon medium-range missile system to Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan, for joint exercises with the Japan Self-Defense Forces. The ground-based system is stationed at Kanoya Air Base, a Japanese site near the Nansei Islands and the Taiwan Strait. Typhon can launch Tomahawk cruise missiles and SM-6 missiles; the Tomahawk is said to have a range of about 1,600 kilometers. According to Japanese media reports, Typhon will be used in the Valiant Shield exercise through July 1 and will be brought back for Orient Shield in September, before being moved to a U.S. military base in Japan around mid-October. China protested the deployment and said the move raises the risk of military confrontation and an arms race in East Asia.