On September 1, 2026, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zakharova stated at a regular press conference that even if it was just for military exercises, the US's deployment of the Trident medium-range missile system in Japan is “unacceptable” to Russia. This move directly poses a threat to Russia's national security.
Zaharova urged Japan to revert to a policy of pacifism, and emphasized that Russia had clearly stated its position through diplomatic channels to the U.S. embassy in Russia: The deployment of such weapons on Japanese territory is absolutely unacceptable, no matter what excuse is given.
Zaharova also noted that Russia has been aware of reports indicating that the exercise will involve the use of the Typhoon ground-launch system to launch medium-range and short-range missiles. She warned that Russia will take necessary countermeasures to ensure that national security remains at an appropriate level.
The background for this statement is that from September 8 to 24, Japan, the United States, and Australia will conduct a joint exercise codenamed “Eastern Shield”. The exercises will take place in areas near the Russian Federation’s borders, such as Hokkaido. It is said that during these exercises, the U.S. military’s “Trophy” missile system will be deployed again.
On June 22nd of some time before this, the US military’s Typhoon system was temporarily deployed to the Kagoshima Prefecture-based Kagoshima Naval Self-Defense Force’s Kaguyahama Air Base. It participated in the multinational exercise “Brave Shield” led by the US military, which lasted until July 1st.
It is reported that the ‘Tespyon’ system has the ability to strike both ships and targets. It can carry ‘Tomahawk’ cruise missiles with a range of about 1600 kilometers. It is currently the weapon system with the longest range deployed in Japan. During the June exercises, the ‘Tespyon’ was used together with the ‘HMMWAR’ high-mobility rocket system to simulate a joint Japanese-American ship attack scenario.
Russia has expressed strong opposition to this issue on multiple occasions. In August 2025, when the US military first announced its intention to deploy such a system, Zhahrova criticized the US actions as undermining regional stability and posing a direct strategic threat to Russia. She also warned that if Japan continues to provide land bases for the US deployment, it will force Russia to take necessary military and technical countermeasures.
In January 2026, Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov informed Japan through diplomatic channels that the presence of American land-based strike systems on Japanese territory was unacceptable. In February of the same year, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Ryabkov further warned that such actions by Japan would inevitably lead to countermeasures from Russia, including military and technological measures. He also pointed out that Japan’s claims of “strengthening its own security” would only have the opposite effect.
Meanwhile, the Russian side also responded with actions. In March 2026, the Russian Ministry of Defense reported that MiG-31 fighter jets equipped with hypersonic missiles were flying over the East China Sea international waters. On August 20th, during a routine exercise, the Russian Pacific Fleet conducted missile strikes against targets near the coast of the Kuril Islands (referred to as the "Northern Four Islands" by Japan).
