Marines fire HIMARS from training range near Mount Fuji for first time

Marines launch a HIMARS rocket at a training center in Japan.

Okinawa-based Marines launch a HIMARS rocket at Combined Arms Training Center Camp Fuji, Japan, Oct. 27, 2025. HIMARS stands for High Mobility Artillery Rocket System. (Akifumi Ishikawa/Stars and Stripes)

GOTEMBA, Japan — U.S. Marines fired a High Mobility Artillery Rocket System, or HIMARS, for the first time Monday at a training range near Mount Fuji, the service said.

The live-fire exercise at Combined Arms Training Center Camp Fuji was carried out by members of 3rd Battalion, 12th Marine Regiment out of Camp Hansen, Okinawa, according to a statement from the division.

Camp Fuji is near the base of Japan’s tallest mountain, an active volcano about 75 miles southwest of Tokyo.

U.S. Forces Japan declined a request by Stars and Stripes to attend the training because of the ongoing federal government shutdown. Mount Fuji was shrouded by clouds during the live fire, which could be seen from the town of Gotemba in Shizuoka prefecture

Marines launch a HIMARS rocket at a training center in Japan.

“The HIMARS live fire training opportunity at Camp Fuji is essential for the lethality of our battalion,” battalion commander Lt. Col. Frank Mastromauro said in the statement. “This exercise enables our Marines to rehearse critical tasks, refine our procedures, and demonstrate deterrence in the Indo-Pacific region, contributing to the stability of our Allies.”

HIMARS is a mobile, long-range rocket artillery platform capable of rapid emplacement, engagement and displacement. The system is central to the Marine Corps’ Force Design modernization effort, which emphasizes stand-in forces able to counter adversaries seeking to deny the U.S. access to key terrain and waterways in the region.

“Training at CATC Fuji is critical for the Marine Corps’ only forward-deployed artillery unit to rehearse and project long-range precision fires,” division commander Maj. Gen. Kyle Ellison said in the statement. “This training is foundational to enhancing 3/12’s agility and flexibility, ensuring they can safely and rapidly generate combat power in support of the Joint force.”

Marines launch a HIMARS rocket at a training center in Japan.

The Marines last fired HIMARS in Japan last month at the Yausubetsu Maneuver Area on Hokkaido, the country’s northernmost island, according to a Japanese Ministry of Defense document posted on Betsukai town’s website. That training was part of Resolute Dragon, an exercise held Sept. 11-25 across Japan that included the country’s Multiple Launch Rocket System.

The 3rd Marine Division first fired HIMARS in Japan during the Northern Viper joint exercise in 2017 at Yausubetsu, according to U.S. Indo-Pacific Command.

Australia’s army fired a Precision Strike Missile with a range of more than 310 miles from its new HIMARS during Talisman Sabre, a three-week exercise held in July and August in Australia and Papua New Guinea. The training involved 40,000 troops from the U.S., Australia and 17 other nations.

Stars and Stripes photojournalist Akifumi Ishikawa contributed to this report.