Yomiuri: US refuses to deploy medium-range missiles in Japan

The Yomiuri newspaper, citing sources, reported on Monday that the United States had abandoned its intention to deploy medium-range missiles in Japan. Such a measure, according to the publication, is due to the fact that the American side considers the containment of China sufficient in connection with Tokyo’s intention to obtain a counterattack potential through the deployment of Tomahawk cruise missiles and an increase in the range of existing Type 12 missiles.

It is noted that after the suspension of US obligations under the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty in 2019, Washington is seeking to develop medium-range missiles as quickly as possible in order to deploy them as early as 2023, since China has about 1900 such missiles. The publication emphasized that their deployment was planned on the so-called first chain of islands, blocking China’s access to the Pacific Ocean, and Japan was one of the candidates for basing.

However, according to the newspaper, the United States decided not to deploy missiles on Japanese territory, since, as part of the exercise of the right to counterattack in the event of an attack, according to an updated security strategy, Tokyo plans to deploy about 500 Tomahawk cruise missiles and 1,000 Type 12 missiles with an increased range, also developing hypersonic missiles.

Based on this, according to Yomiuri, the American side decided that the containment of China would be strengthened if the existing US missile capabilities complemented Japan’s counterattack potential. In addition, the American authorities doubt that they will be able to achieve understanding on the part of the Japanese, which primarily concerns the inhabitants of the areas where such weapons are supposed to be deployed.

At the same time, the discussion of the issue may resume if the balance of power changes in the event of strengthening the military potential of the PRC, Yomiuri concluded.