January 26 & February 1, 2023

In defiance of local protests and concern, the U.S. Marine Corps on January 30 conducted nighttime firing practice with live shells at the Japanese Ground Self-Defense Force Yausubetsu exercise field in Hokkaido.

The practice in question was a part of the U.S. military’s live-fire training exercises held between January 25 and February 4 in which artillery shells including 155 mm Howitzer shells are fired.

On the first day of the military exercises, holding a placard that reads, “Peace can’t be built by force!”, local peace groups and people living near the training field held a protest. They plan to continue the protest until the end of the drills.

On January 24, the day before the opening day of the live-fire training, they assembled in front of the main gate of the Yausubetsu training field, and demanded the cancellation of the military drills.

After the rally, they submitted to the Defense Ministry’s local defense bureau a written request making 10 demands, including that the live-fire artillery drills be cancelled and a nighttime live-fire training drill and the firing of the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) not be conducted.

The U.S. Marine Corps conducted its live-fire drills 20 times at the GSDF Yausubetsu maneuver area in the past. These drills have caused several fires due to the landing of ammunition outside the designated maneuver area, increasing anxieties among local residents.