It is one of several military facilities located in the foothills of Mount Fuji and extends over parts of Gotemba, Susono and Oyama, in Shizuoka Prefecture.

In the modern era, the Imperial Japanese Army began using the sparsely populated area as a training ground since 1898.

After the surrender of Japan at the end of World War II, these bases were occupied by the United States Army, and continued to be used for training.

In 1951, the area was formally returned to the control of the Japanese government, but continued to be used exclusively by the American military under the status of forces agreement.

The post-war Japanese Ground Japan Self-Defense Force lacked suitable training facilities, but was only granted access to the East Fuji Maneuver Area in 1959 after four years of legal action over the opposition of local landholders and reluctance by the American military.