By Horn Africa News
MOSCOW – Russia has sharply criticized the United States and Japan following the deployment of America’s advanced Typhon missile system to U.S. military bases in Japan, describing the move as a serious escalation with far-reaching consequences for regional security.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova, speaking at a briefing on Saturday, said Moscow considers the deployment a “direct threat to regional stability” and an attempt to undermine Russia’s long-term strategic interests in the Asia-Pacific.
“The installation of such systems in Japan is a serious provocation,” Maria Zakharova said. “Russia will not leave these actions unanswered. We will take appropriate countermeasures against both Washington and Tokyo.”
The Typhon missile system is capable of firing both Standard Missile-6 interceptors and Tomahawk cruise missiles, weapons with a range that could potentially reach parts of Russia and China. Its arrival in Japan marks the first time the U.S. has stationed the system in Asia, part of Washington’s broader strategy to strengthen its military presence and deter Chinese and North Korean threats.
Zakharova accused Tokyo of accelerating its militarization process under the cover of security cooperation with the United States.
She also warned that by hosting such systems, Japan is making itself a frontline player in the great-power rivalry unfolding in the region.
“Japan will bear full responsibility for the consequences if it continues along this dangerous path,” she added, accusing the Japanese government of abandoning its post-World War II pacifist principles.
Russia has long opposed the expansion of U.S. missile defenses near its borders, arguing that such deployments upset the delicate balance of power and could provoke a new arms race. The warning comes at a time of already strained relations between Moscow and Washington over the war in Ukraine, as well as Russia’s growing strategic alignment with China.
Japan, meanwhile, has defended its cooperation with the United States, saying the deployment is aimed at strengthening deterrence amid North Korea’s frequent missile launches and China’s growing military assertiveness in the East China Sea and Taiwan Strait.
The latest tensions highlight how the Asia-Pacific is becoming another flashpoint in global geopolitics, with Russia, China, the United States, and U.S. allies increasingly drawn into a contest over military dominance and security guarantees.
Zakharova’s comments, carried by Russia’s state news agency TASS, underscore Moscow’s readiness to push back firmly against what it sees as U.S.-led encirclement efforts in the Indo-Pacific region.
