Tanks of The Interwar Period - Japan

Japan

Like the US Army, the Imperial Japanese Army (IJA) did not have tanks of its own in World War I, so initially it started out by purchasing foreign tanks for evaluation during World War I, and then began developing its own designs. After the first world war, a few Whippets (perhaps six) were exported to Japan, where they remained in service until around 1930.

In 1925, in addition to tankettes, the Japanese army began to design tanks to satisfy its own requirements. Before that year, as with most nations, all tanks in Japanese service had been of foreign design and/or manufacture. The first tank of Japanese design, the type 87 Chi-I, was produced in 1927 at the Osaka Arsenal. This tank was compared with an English Vickers Mark C; the type 87 was considered too heavy and too slow, and it was decided to create a new design. The Japanese were among the first to use diesel engines in some of their tank designs. They used light tanks and tankettes heavily in Manchuria and China during the 1930s.

The Type 89 Chi-Ro tank was lighter (9.8 tonnes) and shorter than the type 87. It contained increased armour (6 to 17 mm) and an improved water-cooled engine. After success in initial tests, the type 89 became the first mass-produced Japanese tank. The type 89 had a crew of four, and was armed with a 57 mm type 90 gun and two 6.5 mm type 91 machine guns.

In 1935, the Japanese began production of new tankettes and light tanks. The Type 94 tankette weighed 3.4 tonnes and was generally used as either a tractor to tow an ammunition trailer, or as a patrol/reconnaissance tank. With a crew of two men and a single 6.5 mm type 91 machine gun, the type 94 was produced in large numbers and saw widespread service as late as 1945. Over twice as large as the type 94 (7.4 tonnes), the Type 95 Ha-Go light tank had a complement of three crewmen, a 37 mm gun and the same 6.5 mm type 91 machine gun, and most importantly a diesel engine which would later greatly influence future tank designs in the Soviet Army. Over one-thousand vehicles were built by Mitsubishi, and production continued until 1943.

By 1936 the Japanese Army started to look for a replacement for the type 89. The new medium tank, Type 97 Chi-Ha, was introduced in 1937 and remained in production until 1944. The 15.8-ton tank was armed with a low-velocity 57 mm gun and had armour up to 33 mm thick.

The 1930s were the last time that the Japanese military focused on production and design of tanks. After that period, they were largely preoccupied with establishing naval control and their focus was on production of ships and aircraft. Furthermore, with the emphasis on expansion southward into the pacific ocean region, land battles would be largely replaced by naval warfare, and thus, with the exception of small islands, the domain of the Imperial Japanese Navy. With the end of WWII, and the destruction of the Imperial Navy, the focus on tanks returned when the Japanese military prepared for the defense of the mainland.