The systems will be deployed to the Maritime Self-Defense Force's Kanoya Air Base in Kagoshima Prefecture during the Valiant Shield and Orient Shield joint exercises between June and September, Kyodo News reported Wednesday, citing sources familiar with the matter, Xinhua reported.
After the drills conclude, the Typhon and HIMARS systems will move to a US military base in Japan for storage, the report said.
The Typhon system was deployed in Japan for the first time last September during large-scale joint exercises in Yamaguchi Prefecture, western Japan, which sparked residents' criticism after the system remained there far longer than initially explained.
A local civic group submitted a request to the Defense Ministry demanding the system's immediate removal, expressing concern that such deployments under the name of joint exercises could become routine. The equipment was withdrawn in November last year.