Russia's Foreign Ministry on 28 May 2025 declared that US-Japan joint military exercises involving the deployment of the Typhon medium-range missile system on Japanese soil represent a direct threat to Moscow's security interests and its Far Eastern borders. The warning marks a sharp escalation in diplomatic rhetoric between Moscow and Tokyo over the expanding US military footprint in the Asia-Pacific.

What Moscow Said

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova stated that Russia views the provision of Japanese territory for the deployment of American medium- and shorter-range missile systems — 'regardless of whether this is done on an episodic, rotational, or permanent basis' — as a step that 'has a serious negative impact on the stability and security of the Asia-Pacific region and creates a direct threat to our Far Eastern borders.'

Zakharova further warned that 'the strategic risks arising from such provocative actions will be thoroughly analysed to develop the necessary compensatory military-technical measures of the strictest and longest possible nature,' signalling that Russia is preparing a formal military-technical response.

The Moratorium Russia No Longer Respects

Zakharova also recalled Russia's diplomatic statement from August 2025, in which Moscow declared it no longer considers itself bound by its self-imposed moratorium on the deployment of ground-based medium- and short-range missiles. That moratorium had been a unilateral Russian gesture following the collapse of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty in 2019. Its formal abandonment now removes a key restraint on Russian missile deployments in the region.

The Exercises in Question

The trigger for Moscow's statement is a planned US military deployment to the Japan Self-Defence Force (JSDF) Kanoya Air Base in Kagoshima Prefecture, scheduled to run from June to September. According to reports citing Japanese news agency Kyodo, the US military intends to station Typhon medium-range missile systems at the base during this period. High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) multiple launch rocket systems are also set to be deployed as part of the exercises.

Japan's Position and the Ukraine Linkage

Russia's warning comes against a backdrop of deteriorating bilateral ties between Moscow and Tokyo. Zakharova referenced earlier Russian calls for Japan to rebuild the relationship, noting that on 12 May, Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi stated that Tokyo, while recognising the importance of ties with Russia as a neighbouring state, 'does not intend to change its current anti-Russian foreign policy course.'

Zakharova argued that the dismantling of bilateral relations 'was initiated precisely at Japan's initiative,' and that Tokyo linked further cooperation with Russia to the situation in Ukraine — doing so, she claimed, 'under pressure, not from its own public, but from Washington.' Japan has not responded publicly to the latest Russian statement.

Strategic Context

This is not the first time Russia has raised objections to US missile systems being stationed near its borders. The Typhon system, which can launch Tomahawk cruise missiles and SM-6 interceptors, has drawn Russian concern wherever it has been deployed in the Indo-Pacific. Notably, this deployment comes as Washington deepens its security architecture across the region, with Japan having recently committed to a significant expansion of its own defence budget. How Moscow translates its 'compensatory military-technical measures' from rhetoric into action will be closely watched by regional capitals.