The U.S. Marines conducted a landmark training exercise which saw them fire the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System for the first time while near the base of Mount Fuji, Japan.
Marines of the 3rd Battalion, 12th Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division unleashed HIMARS missiles during live-fire training at Camp Fuji on Oct. 27.
Although the location has been used as a training ground for a wide variety of U.S. military exercises, this live-fire drill is the first instance in which Marines have practiced firing long-range missiles from the area.
“Training at CATC Fuji is critical for the Marine Corps‘ only forward-deployed artillery unit to rehearse and project long-range precision fires,” Maj. Gen. Kyle Ellison, commanding general, 3rd Marine Division, said in a release. “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.”
The HIMARS system is a mobile artillery platform that is highly versatile in terms of maneuverability and especially in its capability of delivering effective long-range strikes with an array of different munitions.
Some of the precision-guided missiles it can strike with include the Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System, which is equipped with a 200-pound warhead; the Army Tactical Missile System, which can strike deep behind enemy lines; and the entire range of rockets belonging to the Multiple Launch Rocket System family.
It can also be used to fire the Precision Strike Missile, which can destroy targets from over 248 miles away. The PRSM was recently tested at New Mexico’s White Sands Missile Range at the end of September, and demonstrated power and precision at striking long-range objectives.
The live-fire exercise near Mount Fuji comes amid unprecedented tensions in the Indo-Pacific region. In May, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth released a joint statement with the Defense Ministers of Japan, Australian and the Philippines, condemning “China’s destabilizing actions in the East China Sea (ECS) and the South China Sea (SCS) and any unilateral attempts to change the status quo by force or coercion.”
Repeated intrusions by Chinese aircraft into Japanese airspace and clashes between Chinese and Philippine vessels in the South China Sea in recent months are among many factors that have raised Japan’s national security concerns, according to the 2025 Defense of Japan report published by the Japan Ministry of Defense.
Facing its “most severe and complex security environment since the end of World War II,” according to the report, Japan is seeking to deepen ties with the United States, improve interoperability with international forces and revamp its defense capabilities.
The report notes that Japan plans to strengthen its entire defense architecture and to increase cooperation with the United States in air and missile defense capabilities.
“Japan will further deepen discussions with the U.S. on each country’s respective roles, missions, and capabilities to further reinforce Japan-U.S. joint deterrence capabilities,” the report stated.
Zita Ballinger Fletcher previously served as editor of Military History Quarterly and Vietnam magazines and as the historian of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. She holds an M.A. with distinction in military history.