Staff writer
KASUGA, Fukuoka Pref. -- Early Sunday morning, 671 locals from throughout Kyushu and Okinawa gathered at the Ground Self-Defense Forces' Camp Fukuoka, dressed in camouflage suits and armed with Type-64 7.62mm rifles.
Their occupations are diverse: fisherman, farmer, cab driver, housewife. Some have hair dyed brown or shaved heads. Some boast beards, wear sunglasses or have loud, red undershirts peeking out from under their uniforms. Others look average.