US Typhon missile system to be deployed again in Japan: media

TOKYO -- The US military will deploy its Typhon mid-range missile launcher and High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) to southwestern Japan next month for joint exercises with the Self-Defense Forces, local media reported, after the previous deployment drew strong local opposition.

The systems will be deployed to the Maritime Self-Defense Force's Kanoya Air Base in Kagoshima Prefecture during the Valiant Shield and Orient Shield joint exercises between June and September, Kyodo News reported Wednesday, citing sources familiar with the matter.

After the drills conclude, the Typhon and HIMARS systems will move to a US military base in Japan for storage, the report said.

The Typhon system was deployed in Japan for the first time last September during large-scale joint exercises in Yamaguchi Prefecture, western Japan, which sparked residents' criticism after the system remained there far longer than initially explained.

A local civic group submitted a request to the Defense Ministry demanding the system's immediate removal, expressing concern that such deployments under the name of joint exercises could become routine. The equipment was withdrawn in November last year.