GOTENBA, Shizuoka Pref. (Kyodo) About 2,400 Ground and Air Self-Defense Force personnel took part in an annual live-fire drill Sunday at the foot of Mount Fuji, mobilizing dozens of tanks, helicopters and fighter jets. The 110-minute drill ate up ¥350 million worth of fuel and ammunition.
Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada observed the drill in light rain along with an estimated 26,000 other spectators, including family members of military officers at the Higashi Fuji Maneuver Area in Shizuoka Prefecture.
Tanks fired at simulated enemy strongholds as helicopters airlifted troops and equipment under the assumption Japan was being invaded by foreign forces.
The GSDF used up 44 tons of ammunition in the drill, the Defense Ministry's Ground Staff Office said.
The drill was first held in 1961 as part of training for GSDF cadets and has been open to the public since 1966. The event has grown in popularity in recent years, and demand for spectator seats outstripped supply by 28 times this year.
