In Moscow, panic over Japan’s actions: what frightened Putin so much

Russia sent a protest to Japan over the temporary deployment of U.S. Typhon missile systems on Japanese territory. Moscow is calling on Tokyo to remove the systems used during the joint military exercises. The Russian side’s reaction was reported by Russian media and The Japan Times. The exercises in question are the multinational Orient Shield 2026, which are taking place in Japan from 8 to 24 September with the participation of personnel from Japan, the United States, and Australia. This year, for the first time in these maneuvers, the U.S. Typhon missile system was involved. According to the Japanese Ministry of Defense, the current exercises are the largest in scale in the history of this format. Typhon is a mobile medium-range missile system that can, among other things, employ Tomahawk cruise missiles. The very deployment of this system in Japan has provoked a sharp reaction from Moscow. Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said that the presence of Typhon on Japanese territory is unacceptable regardless of the timing or reasons for its placement. Moscow claims that such systems create a threat to Russia’s security and could affect stability in the region. Deputy Russian Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko also urged the Japanese side to treat the previously sent diplomatic note “with the utmost seriousness” and to remove the U.S. missile systems from the country’s territory. At the same time, Tokyo emphasizes that the deployment of Typhon is temporary. The Japanese Ministry of Defense previously said that after the exercises conclude, the U.S. systems are to leave the respective base and be moved to a U.S. forces facility in Japan. The Japanese side does not plan permanent deployment of Typhon as part of the current deployment. Thus, conducting joint military exercises in Japan has become another reason for the escalation of rhetoric between Moscow and Tokyo. Russia focuses attention on the presence of U.S. strike systems near its Far Eastern territories, while Japan and the U.S. view the joint maneuvers as an element of developing military interoperability and strengthening deterrence in the Indo-Pacific region. Recall that Ukraine is counting on Japan’s support in establishing its own production of U.S. Patriot air defense systems, since that country is one of the few that already has a license to produce these systems.