U.S. Marines fire an M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System, or HIMARS, at the Yausubetsu Maneuver Area in Hokkaido, Japan, Sept. 22, 2025. (Peter Eilen/U.S. Marine Corps)
The Marine Corps plans to fire the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System, or HIMARS, for the first time at a training range near Mount Fuji, according to U.S. Forces Japan.
Members of 3rd Battalion, 12th Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division, based at Camp Hansen on Okinawa, will fire nonexplosive training missiles at Higashi-Fuji Maneuver Area on Oct. 27, USFJ spokesman Col. John Severns said by phone Thursday.
It will be the first HIMARS firing by Marines at the range in Shizuoka prefecture, he said. Backup dates are slated for Oct. 28 and 29 in case of bad weather.
“The training is enabling us to maintain a lethal and credible defense posture with our Japanese allies,” Severns said. “That is an essential part of deterring aggression and preserving stability in the region.”
Severns did not know how many Marines or HIMARS launchers would deploy. The division acknowledged follow-up questions by phone but did not provide responses Thursday.
The Marines last fired HIMARS at the Yausubetsu Maneuver Area on Hokkaido, Sept. 14-24, according to a Japanese Ministry of Defense document posted by Betsukai town’s website. That training was part of the Resolute Dragon exercise, held Sept. 11-25 across Japan, and also involved Japan’s Multiple Launch Rocket System.
The 3rd Marine Division first fired HIMARS in Japan at Yausubetsu during the Northern Viper joint training exercise in 2017, according to U.S. Indo-Pacific Command.
Higashi-Fuji was chosen for the upcoming HIMARS training because of its accessibility, realistic terrain and ample space, as well as the need to train in multiple environments, Severns said.
“It’s essential that we have the ability to conduct HIMARS training at more than one area in Japan,” he said.
HIMARS training has typically taken place about once a year at Yausubetsu, Japanese Defense Minister Gen Nakatani said during his regular news conference Tuesday in Tokyo.
“However, given the security environment in the Indo-Pacific region, it is important to further strengthen the deterrence and response capabilities of the Japan-U.S. alliance,” he said.
On Oct. 7, the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force trained with its Multiple Launch Rocket System at Higashi-Fuji for the first time, a Gotemba city spokesman said by phone Thursday.
Nakatani and other Defense Ministry officials met with representatives from Oyama town and Gotemba and Susuno cities to discuss the upcoming exercise, a South Kanto Defense Bureau spokesman said by phone Wednesday.
The three municipalities submitted questions to the defense bureau and are expected to meet again Saturday, the Gotemba city spokesman said. He declined to specify what was discussed. The range lies within their jurisdictions.
The municipalities will decide their position on the exercise “based on the responses from the Ministry of Defense,” the spokesman said.
Some Japanese government officials speak to the media only on condition of anonymity.
AloJapan.com