Town in Japan's Okinawa protests planned storage of US Typhon missile system

TOKYO -- The mayor of Kadena Town in Okinawa Prefecture, southwestern Japan, on Monday visited the Japanese Defense Ministry's Okinawa Defense Bureau to protest the planned storage of the US Typhon mid-range missile system at Kadena Air Base in the town.

According to Kyodo News, Mayor Hiroshi Toyama submitted a written request to the bureau demanding that the plan be withdrawn, saying it disregards the feelings of local residents and is utterly absurd and absolutely unacceptable.

Toyama noted that, as no storage period has been specified, he fears the arrangement could turn into a permanent, formal deployment.

The Okinawa Defense Bureau announced on its website Friday that the US Typhon missile system, currently deployed at Kanoya Air Base in Kagoshima Prefecture, is planned to be withdrawn and stored at Kadena Air Base by mid-October.

Kyodo News previously reported that the Typhon system is capable of firing Tomahawk cruise missiles and has been deployed at Kanoya Air Base for joint military exercises involving Japan, the United States, and other countries.

The deployment of the Typhon system in Japan has drawn strong protests from neighboring countries.