Photo/Illutration A rocket streaks across the Higashi-Fuji Maneuver Area in Shizuoka Prefecture during the Ground Self-Defense Force’s rocket exercise on Oct. 7. (Shigeo Yoshimura)

Communities near Mount Fuji are expressing anxieties over civilian safety after the Ground Self-Defense Force's unprecedented closure of a public road to accommodate a live rocket exercise at a firing range. 

The move comes as Japan bolsters its defense posture amid shifting regional security dynamics.

The Ground Self-Defense Force conducted live-fire drills with its Multiple Launch Rocket System (MLRS) on Oct. 7 at the Higashi-Fuji Maneuver Area in Shizuoka Prefecture, temporarily blocking off a 3-kilometer stretch of National Route 469 as rockets flew over the highway. 

A brigade from Oita Prefecture conducted the 10 a.m. training session that lasted 30 minutes. Six practice projectiles were launched.

The surrounding area includes residential neighborhoods, industrial zones and tourist facilities, raising concerns about safety and disruption.

Until now, GSDF’s domestic MLRS exercises had only been held at the Yausubetsu Maneuver Area in Hokkaido.

In preparation for the drill, the Defense Ministry began consultations in September with three nearby municipalities, citing what it describes as the most severe and complex security environment since World War II.

Local officials expressed strong reservations, ultimately agreeing to the exercise under strict conditions: it would be a one-time event, limited to a single day and subject to post-training impact assessments.

Despite these assurances, the ministry has since proposed a similar exercise involving the U.S. military’s High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) at the same location on Oct. 27.

Local leaders criticized the timing of the request as premature and aggressive, pointing out that the initial MLRS drill hasn’t even been carried out, let alone reviewed.

The push for domestic training sites reflects a broader shift in Japan’s defense strategy, aimed particularly at countering China’s growing military presence in the region.

In June, the GSDF conducted its first-ever domestic launch of the long-range Type 88 surface-to-ship missile in southern Hokkaido.

In September, the U.S. military dispatched its Typhon missile system to Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni in Yamaguchi Prefecture for joint exercises, marking its first deployment in Japan.

The system can strike targets up to 1,600 km away, putting major Chinese cities within range.

Despite the potential for more heightened tensions with local communities, ministry officials say securing domestic launch training sites is becoming increasingly essential as Japan expands its counterstrike capabilities and works with U.S. forces.

(This article was compiled from reports by Shigeo Yoshimura and Daisuke Yajima.)

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