Tanks from Japan (WW2, Pre WW2)

A gallery of Japanese tanks from WW2 with information about them. Japan is one of the nations in war thunder. but did you know that Japan had even more tanks than there are in war thunder. some are strange, some unique and some are even outrageous! This "guide" (if you can call it that) is supposed to have as many Japanese tanks as possible. I'll include prototypes as well.

Introdution

Hello! This is my first "guide", so I'm going to try to do my best!

This guide is going to contain vehicles from Japan during both pre WW2 and WW2. I'm going to include all types of tanks I have found, including prototypes! the reason for making this guide is because while war thunder has many Japanese tanks, there are still a lot of tanks that War thunder doesn't include. Did you know that the Japanese army had a tank that could shoot type 99 grenade torpedoes? Or that they had a tank that could produce electricity? Perhaps not, so in this gallery/guide I am going to teach you about the well known japanese tanks as well as some strange prototypes.

This guide is split into different parts for different tanks:
Well known tanks:
This section focuses on the tanks used by the IJA during WW2. you'll see tanks that you are familiar with like the Type 97 Chi-ha or the Type 89 I-Go as well as a few others. This section will also include information on the tanks.
Defend the mainland!
This section focuses on the tanks built for use against the allied invasion of Japan. you'll see tanks like the Type 1 Chi-he as well as information about the tanks.
Tank Variants
I've decided to add this for tanks that might be prototypes but didn't really fit into the Strange and prototype vehicle section nor the Well known tanks section and Defend the mainland! section.
Here you will see variations of already existing tanks or just other tanks that might be unheard of!
Strange and prototype Vehicles
This is the place where I will put all strange Japanese tanks, prototype tanks.


My sources:
https://tanks-encyclopedia.com/ww2/♥♥♥/ww2_IJN_Tanks.php
https://sensha-manual.blogspot.com/

Feel free to inform me about any information that is wrong or out of place, as well as any additional information you have about any of the tanks. it helps a lot.

I will continue to update this as soon as I find new tanks to post about as well as information about them and as soon as I have time. But feel free to give suggestions to strange Japanese tanks I might not have discovered yet!

(Just a song about tank commander Kojiro Nishizumi)

This "guide" contains the following tanks:

I will write all tanks I have in this "Guide" here:

Well known tanks
Type 89 I-Go
Type 95 Ha-go
Type 97 Chi-ha
Type 97 Chi-ha shinhoto
type 2 ka-mi
Type 1 Ho-ni 1
(continuation)
Type 95 Ro-go
Type 98A Ke-ni
Type 4 Ho-ro

Defend the mainland!
Type 1 Chi-he
Type 2 Ho-I
Type 3 Chi-nu
Type 3 Chi-nu kai
Type 3 Ho-ni 3
Type 4 Chi-to

Tank variants
Type 97 Se-Ri
Type 97 Te-ke
The type 4 Ke-nu
Heavy tank no 6
Otsu-gata sensha
Type 94 TK
Type 91
(continuation)
Type 97 Chi-ha short gun
Type 98 Ta-se
Ko-gata
Type 94 Disinfecting vehicle
Type 94 Gas scattering vehicle
Type 97 Chemical vehicle

Strange and prototype vehicles
Type 97 Chi-ni
Type 97 Chi-ha TG
Type G Chi-yu
Type 97 Chi-ha GS
Type 97 Shi-ki
Type 120 Mi-to/O-I
Type 98 Chi-ho
Nagayama RC tank
Continuation
Type 98B Ke-ni Otsu
Soko sakyo ki
type 2 Ke-to
Type 97 Ka-ha
type 98 So-ki
Chi-ha TG Bridge layer.
Type 5 Ke-ho
Chi-ha 120mm long gun
Type 5 To-ku

I will always add more when I have time. perhaps a few tanks everyday.
anyway, enjoy reading!

Well known tanks

Here are the tanks that are well known. Either because they are in war thunder or that they were used by the Japanese army during World war two:

Type 89 I-Go (medium tank) (Yi-Go)


This is a tank most of us has seen before. The type 89 I go was based of the British vickers medium mark C tank that the Osaka army arsenal imported after the Imperial Japanese army requested for a medium tank.

There was a light tank that was rejected by the army due to low armor and low speed. and the army requested a tank that was 10 tons, while the light tank they had produced was 12 tons which was too heavy to be considered a light tank.
Thanks to this the type 87 was born and sadly also rejected by the army after being tested. There was a second design of the type 87 produced later which finally was accepted by IJA. This was the type 89 I-Go.

The Type 89 I-Go, also sometimes called Yi-Go. had adopted multiple designs from the Vickers C that it was based upon such as the 4 wheeled bogie suspension or that the tracks were also supported by five return rolers that was mounted along a grinder.

There were four crew members operating the tank. A commander, Gunner/loader, Driver and a machine gunner. The type 89 weighed about 9 metric tons and had a speed of 16 kilometers on road. the main armament of the type 89 was a 57mm type 90 gun as well as two type 91 6.5mm machine guns located in the hull facing forward, and the second MG facing backwards in the turret. This was also the tank that tank commander Nishizoemi Kojiro used:


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Type 95 Ha-go (light tank)


This tank is notorious for being a terrible tank! It had bad armor and a bad gun. this tank was designed in 1933 (2595) and was produced in 1936 to 1945. The type 95 Ha-go was designed and produced due to the fact that the type 89 I-Go was too slow and could not keep up with the infantry but it was also designed to be able to spearhead motorized attacks.

While this tank is said to be terrible and bad, it only ran into problems when facing the M4 sherman tank that was well armored and well armed, while the Ha-go already was outdated, under gunned and under armorer. In China however, the Ha-go preformed quite well due to the under-equipped Chinese army.
The first challenge for the Ha-go came when fighting the Soviet union. A massive force made of type 95 Ha-go tanks, type 89 I-Go tanks and type 94 tankettes faced the soviet unions BT5 and BT7 tanks, the japanese tanks were only able to deal damage under 600 meters away while the powerful BT tanks could attack from 1000 meters away.

During the offensive in Manchuria, the poor Ha-go fought against T 34-85 tanks and even IS-1 tanks. The Ha-go was outgunned and outranged against the far superior soviet tanks.

The Poor Ha-go is armed with a 37mm type 94 anti tank gun, two type 97 7.7mm machineguns in the rear of the turret and the front of the hull beside the driver. The Ha-go weighed 7.4 tons and had a top speed of 45 km/h. Ha-go was operated by a crew of three: A commander/gunner/loader, a driver and a machine gunner.

The poor Ha-go has faced BT5 and BF7 tanks, M4 shermans and even T 34-85 and IS-1 tanks despite it being outdated and outgunned. poor thing....
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Type 97 Chi-ha (medium tank)


The most produced Japanese medium tank of the war, the Type 97 chi-ha was a medium tank that was used everywhere in the pacific. The type 97 Chi-ha tank was actually not the tank the army wanted at the time, it was the Type 97 Chi-ni. but somehow the Type 97 Chi-ha won and started getting produced instead of the type 97 chi-ni. The Chi-ha was designed in 1936 and produced in 1938 to 1943.

The type 97 Chi-ha is often considered the best Japanese tank due to it's armor and gun that was superior to the type 95 Ha-go light tank. But in fact the Chi-ha was the second most produced tank during world war two, right behind the Ha-go. The Type 97 Chi-ha also got a turret upgrade with a stronger cannon later on.

The type 97 Chi-ha had a crew of four: a Gunner/loader, a commander, a machine gunner and a driver. The main armament of the Type 97 was a 47mm gun as well as two type 97 machine guns, once facing forward in the hull and one in the rear of the turret. The Chi-ha had a top speed of 38 km/h and weighed 15 tons.

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Type 97 Chi-ha kai (shinhoto) (medium tank)


The type 97 Chi-ha got a upgrade in form of a new larger turret and a new gun due to the Chi-ha being less effective towards allied tanks later in the war. In 1942 it replaced the standard Chi-ha tank. The upgraded tank was called the "Chi-ha kai" (Kai=improved) or the "Chi-ha shinhoto" (shinhoto = new turret).

The Chi-ha ShinHoto was crewed by five people: a commander, a gunner, a loader, a machine gunner and a driver. The Chi-ha ShinHoto had a type 1 47mm gun as the main armament and 2 machine guns. one in the hull and one in the back of the turret.
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Type 2 Ka-mi (amphibious tank)



Here's a tank we might have seen before. The type 2 Ka-mi was the first ever amphibious tank created by Japan. It was put into production in 1940 and thus not doing much, but it's roots can be traced back all the way to 1928. One thing the Ka-mi is known for is the float pontoons attached to the back and front of the Ka-mi tank (see picture 2) and could be detached from the inside. the type 2 Ka-mi was used by the Special naval landing forces and the navy, not the army. the type 2 Ka-mi could also only float with the help of the float pontoons.

the type 2 Ka-mi was armed with a 37mm type 1 gun as well as two type 97 machine guns, on in the turret and on in the hull. the type 2 Ka-mi had a top speed of 37 km/h and weighed around 12.3 tons with the pontoons, and 9.15 tons without the pontoons.
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Type 1 Ho-ni 1 (destroyer/self propelled gun)


The type 1 Ho-ni 1 was a self propelled gun based on the type 97 Chi-ha and was developed after the first encounter by the M4 shermans. They added a new type 90 Gun and removed the turret of the Type 97 Chi-ha. they replaced the old turret by a new open topped turret due to the regular type 97 having very little space for the new gun and was too cramped for it's crew members.
The machine gun located in the chassis beside the driver was also removed to give space for more ammo.

The Type 1 Ho-ni 1 was first used in the Philippines where it took part in battles during the invasion of the Philippines. it was superseded by the the type 1 Ho-ni 2.

The type 1 Ho-ni 1 had a 76mm type 90 anti tank gun and was crewed by 5 people: Commander, driver and three gun servants. it had a top speed of 38 km/h and a weight of 15 tons.
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Well known tanks (continuation)

This is the same as the last section, but I didn't have enough space to continue writing there, so I decided to continue the section here:
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Type 95 Ro-go (heavy tank)(multi-turret)


The type 95 Ro-go was a prototype Multi-turreted heavy tank that was a upgrade or continuation of the fist heavy tank, the type 91. The type 95 heavy tank actually was Japans way to respond to the Soviet multi-turret T-35 after they realized the soviet expansion. The Tank has about the same dimensions as the type 91, but with new armaments and most of all, Better armor.
The new armaments on the type 95 was a type 94 7cm cannon located in the main turret of the tank. the second armament was a type 94 37mm gun located in a smaller turret in front of the tank beside the driver. lastly, there were two small machine guns in the back of the main turret and in a smaller turret in the back. The type 95 Ro-go was pretty much an upgrade from the Type 91. there were only 4 prototypes made.
(more information will come on the type 95 once I add the type 91, the two tanks are pretty much the same but with other armaments)

The type 95 was crewed by a crew of 5: a commander, gunner, loader, driver, forward gunner/loader and another rear gunner. The main armaments of the type 95 was a 7cm type 94 cannon and a smaller type 94 37mm cannon in the front as well as two machine guns located at the back of the main turret and in a rear turret. The tank had a top speed of 22 km/h and had a total weight of 26 tons (more than the type 91 due to more armor)
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Type 98A Ke-ni (light tank)


The type 98 Ke-ni (also known as the "type 98 Chi-ni") was a light tank that began it's life when the Japanese army realized that the Type 95 Ha-go was vulnerable to 50.cal machine gun fire and began developing a light tank that had the same weight as the Type 95 Ha-go but had stronger and more protected armor than the Ha-go.
There were two Types of the Ke-ni produced, the type 98A Ke-ni and the Type 98B Ke-ni otsu. there were 104 Ke-ni (A model) produced during WW2 but near the end of the war, most metal was handed to build ships for the navy, which meant that there wasn't enough metal to build anymore Ke-ni light tanks.

The type 98A Ke-ni was armed with a type 100 37mm gun and a 7.7mm machine gun located beside the main gun in the turret. It had a total crew of 3 people: A commander, Gunner/loader and a driver. the tank had a total weight of 7 tons like the ha-go, and had a total speed of 50 km/h.
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Type 4 Ho-ro (SPG)


The type 4 Ho-ro was a self propelled gun that is most known because of it's massive type 38 150mm howitzer. The tank was actually inspired by the Grille SPG by germany. the grille was a infantry gun built into a chassis, so the Japanese though of doing the same and took a type 97 Chi-ha tank chassis and attached a type 38 150mm infantry gun behind a 25mm gun shield that protected the crew. however, the gun shield didn't extend far on the sides, meaning that the Ho-ro only was protected from the front and the sides were left open. The infantry gun also had very limited traverse. The Ho-ro did see service first in the second tank division during the invasion of the Philippines. but near the end of the war, the remaining Ho-ro tanks were deployed in Okinawa. only one tank is remaining to this day placed in the American heritage museum that was captured in the Philippines.

The type 4 Ho-ro was armed with a 150mm cannon, had a crew of 6 people, a top speed of 38km/h and a weight of 16 tons.
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Defend the mainland!

This section is for the tanks built and designed during the time when Japan decided to focus more on arming and building defenses for the invasion of Japan. As we all know the Invasion never happened due to the US dropping two atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. But the tanks that Japan produced for the defense of the mainland are quite interesting:

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Type 1 Chi-he (medium tank)


Don't mistake this tank for the Type 97 Chi-ha ShinHoTo. Despite their similarities the Type 1 Chi-he had a new tank chassis and was actually an attempt by Mitsubishi to modernize the Type 97 chi-ha by giving it more speed and armor. But sadly, once a few had been built, they were already outdated.
One unique thing about the Chi-he was the fact that a radio was now standard equipment in the tank. in all other tanks built before there were usually no radio and commanders would usually need to signal each other with the use of flags.

The type 1 Chi-he was crewed by five just like the Chi-ha shinhoto: A commander, loader, gunner, a radio operator and a driver. The main armament was a 47mm gun and two machine guns located at the rear of the turret and in front of the hull. the top speed was 44 km/h and the tank weighed 17 tons.

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Type 2 Ho-I (medium tank, infantry support)


The Type 2 Ho-I is another tank that was built for the defense of the mainland. it was based on the type 1 Chi-he (hence the type 2 in the name and the same chassis). in reality the army wanted such a tank in manchuria in 1937 because they needed a stronger mobile cannon to fire and destroy Chinese fortifications. The Ho-I was based on the Type 97 Chi-ha (picture 2) and the prototype was built in 1941, this tank was called the Type 1 Ho-I. But due to delays, production started even later and this time, the Type 2 Ho-I was based on the type 1 Chi-he chassis instead.

sadly, the tank production got discontinued due to American bombing and shortage of metal. so instead the Japanese decided to focus their metal on the type 1 Chi-he instead. The Ho-I tanks that already had been built did see service in the army for the mainland defense against the allied invasion that never happened.

The Type 2 Ho-I was crewed by 5 people: A commander, Loader, gunner, radio operator and a driver. it had a speed of 44 km/h and weighed 16 tons. it was armed with a 75mm type 99 gun and a single type 97mm machine gun located in front of the chassis.
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Type 3 Chi-nu (medium tank)


Since the Type 1 Chi-he was outdated as soon as it was built. the Japanese built the type 3 chi-nu instead. This tank had a much larger cannon and a much more powerful 75mm type 3 gun. production was slow and only 55 vehicles were produced and delivered in 1944 as well as 89 more tanks by the end of the war. the type 3 Chi-nu was sent to the Kyushu and Honshu. 6 regiments were based in Tokyo and the tank never saw action.

There was a single Chi-nu tank that received a Chi-to turret and a type 5 gun. but there were no more vehicles produced of this tank. after the war the tank became known as the Chi-nu kai (improved)

The type 3 Chi-nu was crewed by five people: a commander, gunner, loader, radio operator and a driver. it was armed with the type 3 75mm gun and type 97 machine gun in the chassis. it had a top speed of 39 km/h and weighed 19 tons. the tank never saw combat. only one tank remains.
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Type 3 Chi-nu Kai (medium tank)

(NOTE: picture might be a Chi-to.)

This was a Type 3 Chi-nu tank that had it's 75mm Type 3 gun and turret replaced by a Type 4 Chi-To tanks gun and turret. The Chi-to had a 75mm type 5 gun. There was only one Type 3 Chi-nu kai tank made and The name "Chi-nu kai" only came after the war and after Japan lost.
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Type 3 Ho-ni 3 (SPG/destroyer)


The Type 3 Ho-ni 3 was the best of the Ho-ni tanks (Ho-ni 1, 2 and 3) This tank was an upgrade of the Type 1 Ho-ni 2 and was built on the Type 97 Chi-ha kai chassis. The type 3 Ho-ni 3 had the powerful type 3 75mm (same gun as the type 3 Chi-nu). The Ho-ni 3 was built in very few numbers due to bombing and it is unknown if it was sent to any other places other than mainland Japan. Due to the limited numbers built this tank never saw combat but was intended to face against the allied invasion of Japan, though it never happened.
Unlike the other Ho-ni tanks the Ho-ni 3 had enclosed armor and even had an armored casemate around the gun.

The type 3 Ho-ni 3 was armed with a 75mm type 3 gun like the Chi-nu and was crewed by 5 people: commander, Gunner, driver and two loaders. The tank had a top speed of 38 km/h and had a weight of 17 tons.
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Type 4 Chi-to


The type 4 Chi-to was a prototype medium tank developed during the last days of the war and was intended to face against the Sherman M4, but there was a delay and problems with the program. The tank was first delivered in 1944 and was slightly larger than the Type 97 tank and was also the most advanced tank Japan had produced during WW2. however, when being built, due to Allied bombing runs and the shortage of metal, only 2 Chi-to tanks were ever fully completed.

Once the Japanese suspected the US invasion of the mainland the Japanese dumped the two tanks into Lake Hamana to avoid being captured by the US. After the surrender of Japan, one tank was found by the US forces and recovered while the other tank wasn't found. in 2013 however, there were attempts to locate and recover the tank from the lake but the tank wasn't found.

The type 4 Chi-to was armed with a 75mm type 5 tank gun. had a crew of 5: Gunner, loader, machine gunner, commander and a driver. the tank had a top speed of 45km/h and a weight of 30 tons.
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Tank variants

Here I will post tanks that didn't fit into any of the other sections. Tanks that will appear here will be tanks that did see combat but aren't well known:
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Type 97 Se-Ri (repair tank)


The type 97 Se-ri was a repair tank that was based on the type 97 Chi-ha. The Se-Ri had a large crane attached to the back of the chassis and behind the turret that it could use to lift and pull smaller tanks. it had a single machine gun in the turret.
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Type 97 Te-ke (tankette)


The Type 97 Te-ke was a Tankette and served as a small scout vehicle. The type 97 Te-ke was the last tankette produced by Japan after the type 94 TK and the Jyu-sokosha. The Te-ke was mostly based on the Type 94 and you can see it by the similarities (both having turrets at the back, only two crew members ETC). however, the engine was now located at the back of the tank which meant that the turret was now located around the middle of the tank.
Most type 97 Te-ke tankettes fought in china against the Chinese CV-33s and Renault FTs which were not match against the Type 97 tankettes. However they suffered heavily after facing soviet BT 5 and BT 7 tanks. Early Type 97 Te-ke tanks were armed with a machine gun, like the type 94. (picture 2)

The type 97 Te-ke had a crew of 2: Gunner/loader/commander and a driver and had a top speed of 42 km/h. The main armament of the Te-ke light tank was a 37mm gun and the tank had a weight of 4.7 tons
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Type 94 TK (tankette)


The type 94 tankette was a tankette built after the type 92 jyu sokosha tankette when the Japanese army wanted a tankette of their own (The type 92 was only used by the cavalry), and wanted a smaller faster tankette that could both provide fire support when the infantry needed it, and also carry and deliver equipment. and thus the type 94 Tokushu keninsha (TK) was born. this tankette was capable of scouting, supporting infantry and transport supplies. Type type 94 saw most action in China, but a few were also handed to the Special naval landing forces (marine).

The type 94 Tokushu keninsha was armed with a single 7.7mm type 92 or a 6.5mm type 92 machine gun, the tank was crewed by two people: gunner/loader/commander and a driver. this tank had a top speed of 40 km/h and a total weight of around 3.5 tons. there was also a design that had the machine gun replaced by a 37mm gun:
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Type 4 Chi-ha-go Ke-nu (Light tank)


Yes, that is a Ha-go with a Chi-ha turret! The type 4 Ke-nu is a weird tank combining a type 95 Ha-go hull and a type 97 Chi-ha turret. After the upgrade of the type 97 Chi-ha and the creation of the Chi-ha kai (shinhoto). Due to this Japan had many Chi-ha turrets left over with no use. some were sent to the reinforce defense positions. But there were a lot left over to refit to other tank chassis, and that's where this thing, the type 4 Ke-nu light tank was born. The Chi-ha turret was intended to give more fire support since the Chi-ha had a stronger gun than the Ha-go, but most didn't see much service in Manchuria. One single Ke-nu tank was captured by the soviets in Manchuria and is in display in the Kubinka tank museum.

The type 4 Ke-nu had a 47mm gun and two machine guns, one in the rear of the turret and one in the chassis beside the driver. The tank was crewed by 3 people: Commander/gunner/loader, driver and a machine gunner. It had a top speed of 35 km/h and had a total weight of 8 tons.
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Heavy tank no 6 (imported heavy tank)


The heavy tank no 6 is a Imported heavy tank from Germany and is a Tiger 1. The Japanese
Ambassador in Germany decided to visit the eastern front where the Germans and Soviets were fighting, and saw a German Tiger 1 and got interest in buying a tank for Japan. The Japanese started negotiating for purchase of the blueprints and ammunition for the Tiger and to be able to produce it in the Japanese homeland. however the shipping of the Tank never happened due to the Allies submarine warfare. The heavy tank no 6 was not a tiger E but rather a tiger 1 due to the cupola.

The heavy tank no 6 (Tiger 1) had a five man crew: A commander, Loader, Gunner, Driver and radio operator. it was armed with the powerful 8.8 Kw.K gun. it had a top speed of 45 km/h and a weight of 54 tons.
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Otsu gata sensha (light tank)


Also known as simply the Renault Otsu, the Otsu gata sensha was a Japanese imported light tank from the french were it was called the Renault NC-27. The Japanese really liked the Ko-gata sensha (Renault FT 17) and as soon as there was a upgraded variant the japanese bought it and built some of their own. These tanks were heavily modified by the Japanese like adding a new more powerful gun.This tank saw some service in China, like in shanghai (see picture).

The Otsu gata sensha was manned by a crew of two people: a Commander/gunner/loader and a driver. It was armed with a Japanese type 11 37mm gun. it had a top speed of 20 km/h and a weight of 9 tons.
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Type 91/type 87 Chi-I (Medium multi-turret tank)


The Type 91 was a prototype heavy tank and was the first tank Japan ever built independently as well as the precursor to the Type 95 Ro-go. While it has the same look and shape as the Type 95 Ro-go, The type 91 Was actually classified as a Medium tank by the Japanese army. This tank had a very complicated Suspension system made up by two sets of road wheels per leaf sprung bogie. The type 91 had 17 road wheels per side and thus had a total of 34 road wheels. This type of suspension was called a "Swing arm suspension" and was more commonly seen on motor bikes and motorcycles. The Project was soon canceled due to the tank being unsuccessful and the type 95 Ro-go project was started soon after.

The type 91/type 87 Chi-I was crewed by 6 people (same as Ro-go): a Commander, a gunner, a loader, a front machine gunner, a driver and a Machine gunner at the back. The Type 91 was armed with a 57mm cannon, a smaller turret with a 6.5mm machine gunner and another machine gun turret at the back. (I could not find any source on the Speed of the type 91 nor the weight of the tank, but i will continue to look)
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Tank variants (continuation)

A continuation of Tank variants section due to running out of space to write:
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Type 97 Chi-ha Short gun (Medium tank)


The type 97 Chi-ha short gun was an experimental tank designed to be used by the Special naval landing forces (Marine). it was a ShinHoto Chi ha tank, but with the main gun replaced by a 120mm naval gun. It was built and tested after the Special naval landing forces requested a tank similar to the type 2 Ho-I tank that could support the naval landings. It is unknown if the Tank saw service but the 12 tanks that were built was handed to the Yokosuka no 16 special land battle corps. The tank was not amphibious like the Type 2 Ka-mi, and the tank was likely deployed with a landing barge.

The type 97 Chi-ha short gun had a crew of four: A commander/gunner, loader, machine gunner and a driver. it was armed with a 120mm Naval anti submarine gun and had a weight of 15 tons and a top speed of 38 km/h.
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Type 98 Ta-se (Spaag)(single barrel variant)


The type 98 Ta-se was a Spaag that was built using the Ke-ni chassis with a new turret and a single 20mm anti air gun. The name Ta-se comes from the words "Taikou" meaning Anti-air and "Sensha" which is the Japanese word for tank. there was also a twin mounted gun prototype of the Ta-se.

The type 98 Ta-se was armed with a single 20mm soki anti air gun (single gun version). had a crew of five: A commander, gunner, a loader, a driver and a radio operator(?). it had a weight of 22 tons and a top speed of 42 KM/H. it did not enter production.
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Ko-gata


This is simply a Japanese Renault FT 17. As I mentioned with the Otsu gata sensha, the Japanese really liked French tanks and their tank design and bought 13 Renault FT-17 tanks from France after WW1 as well as a few other foreign tanks. The tank was renamed to the Ko-gata sensha and saw service in Manchuria and even during the invasion of Indochina (vietnam) during WW2.

The Ko-gata was crewed by two people as with the Renault FT-17; a commander/gunner/loader and a driver. it was armed with either a 37mm cannon or a machine gun. It had a top speed of 17km/h and had a top weight of 6 tons.
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Type 94 Disinfecting vehicle


This tank was based on the type 94 TK Tankette and it's purpose is what you would expect from it's title, it would disinfect dangerous chemicals on the battlefield to make it safe for troops. The type 94 Disinfecting vehicle was pretty much a type 94 TK, but with a gun that could scatter bleaching powder, the powder was stored inside a small wagon towed by the tank.
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Type 94 Gas scattering vehicle


This tank is very similar to the type 94 disinfecting vehicle, but it did the opposite of disinfecting dangerous gasses. The type 94 gas scattering vehicle was used to scatter dangerous gasses towards the enemy, completely opposite of the disinfecting vehicle. The tank is pretty much the same as the type 94 "DV", it's a type 94 TK hull and turret with the gun replaced to scatter mustard gas towards hostile troops. the mustard gas was stored inside a small wagon that was towed to by the tank, similar to the Type 94 Disinfecting vehicle.
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Type 97 "chemical vehicle"


This a tank based on the type 97 Te-ke and was simply a more modern version of the Type 94 disinfecting vehicle and gas scattering vehicle. it used same turret as the type 97 disinfecting vehicle and gas scattering vehicle and also used the same wagon for disinfecting/gas scattering. the only main difference is the hull which is taken from the type 97 Te-ke and not the type 94 TK.
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Strange and prototype vehicles

This section is going to contain prototype tanks and strange tanks:
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Type 97 Chi-ni (medium tank)


The type 97 Chi-ni was a medium tank built during the same year as the Chi-ha (hence the type 97) and was the tank that the army preferred and were going to adopt into the army, but instead the type 97 Chi-ha won and the Chi-ni lost.

There were only one Chi-ni prototype built that served for testing. The Chi-ni had a detachable ditching rail so it could cross trenches better. once the Chi-ni had lost the competition, the only prototype was said to be scraped and the parts used for other tanks.

The type 97 Chi-ni was crewed by 3 people: one gunner/loader/commander, a machine gunner and a driver. the Chi-ni was armed by a type 97 57mm gun and a single type 97 machine gun located in the chassis.
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Type 97 Chi-ha TG (mine clearing)


The type 97 Chi-ha TG was an engineering based on the type 97 Chi-ha and was built to be able to fire 4 type 99 bangalore torpedoes into enemy bunkers using a spring mechanism. instead of the regular chi ha turret, the Chi-ha TG instead had a new launching device added with a arm. The "arm" could be extended out so the tank could fire in bunkers from far away.

The chi-ha TG had a weight of 14 tons, a crew of four and a top speed of 38 km/h. the tanks main armament was the bangalore type 99 torpedo fired from it's arm device.
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Type G Chi-Yu (mine clearing tank)


This is a mine clearing tank based on the Type 97 Chi-ha tank and is pretty much just a Chi-ha with Mine clearing equipment attached to the front of the tank. (there's not really much information on this tank.)
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Type 97 Chi-ha GS


The type 97 Chi-ha GS was a Chi-ha tank with experimental type 4 HEAT rockets. From what I could find it was supposed to be used to clear mine fields by firing rockets (like mortars) and
explode the mines in front. apparently this tank also had the rocket pods attached to the back intertwined with the gun (like the calliope). other sources say the gun was a dummy.
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Type 97 Shi-ki (command tank)


The type 97 Shi-ki was based on the type 97 Chi-ha and was supposed to serve as a moblie command vehicle. This tank was supposed to watch from afar and give orders and command friendly tanks. The main armament was removed and a new turret that was more circular was installed. The Shi-ki also received a large radio antenna, and the machine gun was also replaced by a type 98 37mm gun placed in the chassis. there was also recently found that there was a replacement vehicle for the Shi-ki.

The type 97 Shi-ki had a crew of 3: A commander, driver and bow-gunner. A type 98 37mm located in the chassis (picture 2) and was the only armament on this tank. the tank had a top speed of 38 km/h and had a weight of around 15 tons.
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type 120 Mi-to/O-I (super heavy)

(There is very little information on this tank, and thus some info might be wrong)

This super heavy tank was the result of fierce fighting between the empire of Japan and the Soviet union, and also realizing that the Type 97 Chi-ha and Type 95 Ha-go was outdated and preformed terrible against the Soviet tanks. due to this, the Japanese decided to start developing plans on building a heavier, stronger armored and more powerful armed super heavy tank.

What they came up with was the Type 120 Mi-to/O-I Super heavy tank. This tank had a maximum weight of 100 tons and the main gun was a 105mm cannon. The tank also had two smaller turrets, one carrying a type 1 47mm cannon while the other was carrying a 7.7mm machine gun. the tank had extremely Thicc armor and had a thiccness of up to 200mm.

The Type 120 Mi-to/O-I super heavy tank had a total weight of 100 tons, a main 105mm gun. two smaller turrets with 47mm gun and a 7.7mm machine gun. it had a max speed of 25 km/h and was crewed by 11 people. The only thing that remains of this tank is a part of it's track, the first picture is the track itself and the second picture is the track compared to a type 89 I-go tank track:

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Type 98 Chi-ho (Medium tank)


The type 98 Chi-ho was a medium tank prototype. during the 1930s the Japanese army wanted a tank to replace the type 89 Medium tank and the battle between the Chi-ni light tank and the Chi-ha tank was taking place. However, the Sino-Japanese war broke out and the type 97 Chi-ha was accepted into the army, but the Japanese army continued to look into light weight and cheap tanks and thus The type 98 Chi-ho medium tank was born.

The tank appears to have had a turret similar to the Type 97 Chi-ha ShinHoto, but the Chi-ho lacked a rear facing machine gun which usually appeared most Japanese tanks such as the type 89, Type 95 and even the Type 97. Instead the Chi-ho had a forward facing machine gun beside the turret, similar to the soviet T-28. This tank also had no cupola, and only 4 prototypes were ever built of this tank.

The type 98 Chi-ho medium tank had a crew of four: A commander, Gunner, machine gunner and a driver. The tank was armed with an experimental type 1 47mm gun and had two 7.7mm type 1 heavy machine guns, one located in the turret and the other suspected to be mounted in the chassis. it had a top speed of 41 km/h and a weight of around 10 tons (?).
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Nagayama RC tank (The ultimate RC tank) (april fools)


Belive it or not but the Nagayama tank was actually intended to see some use with the Japanese army. Built in 1929, the Nagayama was the worlds first RC tank and was controled by radio equipment (picture 2) The tank was intended to clear and lay mines, recon and even supplying soldiers on the battlefield! the tank had only 2 of the tanks were built and they never entered service with the army! Nagayama built from a Fordson model F tracked prime mover.

The Nagayama RC tank was not manned by anyone, it was controlled by a Radio. The tank seems to have some sort of gun in the small turret facing forward, but it is unknown. Happy April fools!
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Strange and prototype vehicles (continuation)

Continuation of the last section.
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Type 98B Ke-ni otsu (light tank)


The type 98B Ke-ni otsu was a prototype vehicle built by Mitsubishi and had a new suspension with four large road wheels supported by side-ways facing coil springs, it was very similar to the Christie suspension that can be found on the crusader and the BT tanks. It was only a prototype tank and never entered production.

There is no info on the crew nor the gun, but it's safe to assume it had a crew of 2 - 3 people and the same armament of the type 98A Ke-ni.
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Soko sakyo ki (engineering vehicle)


Perhaps one of the most scariest and strangest looking vehicles ever designed by the Japanese, the Soko sakyo ki was an engineering vehicle build during the 1930s when the IJA wanted a vehicle capable of destroying Soviet fortifications along the border of Manchuria and the Soviet union. But the "SS-Ki" was capable of doing a multitude of different things through it's different variants produced:

SS-Ki: the main tank/model produced.
SS kou gata: The SS-KI but with suspension tracks consisting of four return rollers.
SS Otsu Gata: an armored bridge laying vehicle with three return rollers and drive sprockets.
SS Hei Gata: an armored trench digger with suspension similar to the Otsu gata and with armor plates.
SS Tei Gata: a armored engineering vehicle with suspension similar to the Otsu gata.
SS Bo Gata: another armored bridge laying vehicle based on the SS-ki.

The tank was first used as flamethrower vehicles in China but where then used as Engineering vehicles in the Philippines. The hull was based on the type 89 I-go tank, however the main turret was removed and replaced by a small commanders cupola.

The Sako Sakyo ki (AKA SS-ki) was armed with a single machine gun in the hull and 2- 3 flame throwers, had a crew of five people: Commander, driver, and the other operators. It had a weight of 13 tons and a max speed of 37 KM/H.
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Type 2 Ke-to (light tank)


The Ke-to light tank was intended to be a improvement to the Type 98A Ke-ni light tank, with better armor and a better gun. The tank itself was based on the Ke-ni and had the same engine and suspension, but the main gun was replaced by a type 1 37mm gun. The turret was also larger and gave more space to the crewmen inside of the tank. Only a few numbers of the tank was produced during WW2 and it never saw any combat.

The type 2 Ke-to was armed with a type 1 37mm gun, had a crew of three: Gunner/loader, commander and a driver. the tank had a weight of 7.2 tons and a top speed of 50km/h.
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Type 97 Ka-ha (engineering vehicle)


Perhaps the most unique tanks in the world, the Type 97 Ka-ha was a prototype tank that saw limited service in china. The Ka-ha was equipped with a electric dynamo that generated electricity. what makes this tank unique is that it was designed to find telephone poles (the Chinese army used regular telephones for communication) and attach some wires to the pole and blast 10.000 volts through it, overloading the telephone line and blowing it up as well as electrocuting people talking on the phones. Only four of these tanks was ever built that was used in China, there is only one known photo of this tank. while it looks like the tank has a gun, the gun is actually a dummy gun that could not fire, either to trick enemies and scare them of or for some other reason.

The type 97 Ka-ha electric tank was equipped with an electric dynamo that was capable of producing up to 10.000 volts. there was no main armament for the tank since the main gun was a dummy gun and could not fire. The number of crew-members, weight and the top speed of the Ka-ha are unknown.
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Type 98 So-ki (spaag)


The type 98 So-ki was a prototype Spaag built from the Type 98 Ta-se spaag. Unlike the Ta-se, the So-ki was equipped with two 20mm anti air guns, while the Ta-se only had one. the turret on the Ta-se was also removed and replaced with a new turret that only had a front facing armored shield that protected the gunner.

The type 98 So-ki was armed with twin 20mm type 2 anti airguns, had a crew of 5 people and a total weight of 22 tons, it also had a top speed of 42km/h.
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Chi-ha TG Bridge layer. (engineering vehicle)


This is a Type 97 Chi-ha built to lay bridges and allow for other vehicles to move over safely. I couldn't find a proper name for this tank other than the "Chi-ha TG Bridge layer". so that is what I am going to call it for now.
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Type 5 Ke-ho (light tank)


The type 5 Ke-ho was a prototype light tank that was built and designed during the end of WW2. Development began in 1942 when the army realized that the Ha-go was too vulnerable to US .50 cal machine guns. They tried to fix the problem by coming up with tanks such as the Type 98 Ke-ni and the Type 2 Ke-to, but these tanks were still not efficient enough to withstand the .50 cal machine gun fire. So they came up with the type 5 Ke-ho, however the project was shelved due to the metal needed being given to the Navy. When mass production was finally allowed to start in 1945, it was too late and only one prototype was built by the end of WW2.

The type 5 Ke-ho was armed with a 47mm anti tank gun and one type 97 Machine gun. it had a crew of 4 people, a weight of 10 tons and a maximum speed of 50 Km/H.
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Chi-ha 120mm long gun (SPG)


The Chi-ha 120mm long gun was naval gun built on a Chi-ha tank chassis that going to be used by the special naval landing forces. It was built when the Japanese navy had a increased loss of it's ships and started to worry about their ground forces (SNLF). And thus this tank was created, one single prototype was completed near the end of the war but it never saw service. This tank used the same gun as on the Chi-ha short gun, but instead of a "short gun" it had a long barrel. There is no official name for it but most called it by the name "Chi-ha 120mm long gun" or "Chi-ha SPG" as well as just "Naval SPG", while the Japanese navy called it the "Self propelled gun".

There is still little information on it but it used the 120mm gun seen on the Chi-ha short gun but with a long barrel instead of the short one.
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strange and prototype vehicles continuation 2

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Type 5 To-ku (Amphibious tank)


The type 5 To-ku basically had the same concept of the type 2 Ka-mi, a chassis that could attach two floating pontoons to the front and rear of the tank to make if amphibious and could be used to land on beaches by the SNLF. The tank had a larger turret than the type 2 Ka-mi and also had a gun mounted in the hull similar to the type 97 Shi-ki command tank, which also had a hull gun. only one single prototype was built.

The tank was armed with one 47mm gun and a hull mounted 20mm gun. the tank had a total crew of five: (commander, gunner, loader, driver and a Hull gunner/radio operator). the total weight was 29 tons and total speed was 32 km/h on land and in water 10km/h.
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Fun facts about Japanese tanks

This is a new section in the guide that's supposed to tell you fun facts you maybe didn't know about Japanese tanks during WW2 or Japanese tanks in General.
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Fun fact #1:

Japanese tanks always had a imperial star mounted on the front of the tank (like the tetsubo helmet), but while the army used the imperial star, the IJN (Imperial Japanese navy) or the Special naval landing forces replaced the star with the Naval anchor and Sakura flower:

(Imperial star can be seen on the hull of the Type 89 beside driver hatch and machine gun)

(Naval anchor and sakura flower as seen on the same tank, this type 89 is from the SNLF.

(This is the naval emblem up close and detached from the tank itself)
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Fun fact #2

This is how Type 97 Chi-ha (old and Kai) as well as type 97 Ha-go tanks preform during military exercises and look during battle, the video also shows during tank production and the inside of a factory producing Japanese tanks:

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Fun fact #3

During Army parades, The army song "Battotai" (drawn sword corps march) would be played for the infantry, but for the armored vehicles and tanks they would play a different song. This song is called "The celebration/festival gallop" (ギャロップ 乗馬隊分列行進曲) and sounds like this:

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Fun fact #4

There is a modernized version of the Celebration gallop that is played by the Japanese self defense force while their tanks are on parade, it sounds different from the WW2 version, but still goes by the same name:

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Fun fact #5

The Japanese tanker helmet worn by tankers during missions and while operating the tank looks like this:


the helmet is mostly known for being different than most other helmets worn by other nations tankers. while other tanker helmets like the Soviet helmet had special parts made to deflect blows against the tanker and the inside of the tank built into it, the Japanese tanker helmet did not have these parts. It is said that the Japanese tanker helmet was designed in such a way because they took ideas from a pilot cap while designing it.

the helmet also has laces allowing the tanker/user to attach goggles to the helmet easily. the helmet, like most IJA head wear also has the imperial star on the front.
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Fun fact #6

There is a winter version of the tank helmet that would be worn during winter and during the cold. this version had leather on top and also had a thicker fur coating on the straps to protect the chin of the wearer from the cold.
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Fun fact #7

The standard machine gun in most japanese tanks were the type 97 machine gun. the machine gun would have had it's barrel removed and replaced with a special "large muzzel" that would allow it to be attached in japanese ball turrets in japanese tanks. the type 97 itself was actually based on a czechoslovak machine gun called "ZB vz. 26" captured in China and made the type 97 after the machine guns. The type 97 MG has a lot of features similar to the ZB vz. 26 due to this, such as the magazine which looks almost identical to the ZB vz. 26 magazine.

Type 97 with and without the muzzel. also shows scope.
The type 97 with scope and muzzel attached.
Type 97 machine gun inside the ball cupola.
A type 97 machine gun from inside the tank.
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Update history

March 19th, 2020:
The guide was created along with 10 tanks.

March 20, 2020
Added 3 more tanks, one in each section.

March 21, 2020
Added a new section along with 3 new tanks.

March 22, 2020
only added 2 Tanks this time.

March 23 - 24, 2020
Added the two more tanks this time too. also created a continuation of the well known tanks section due to running out of space to write.

March 26, 2020
Added two more tanks.

March 27-28th, 2020
Added two more tanks again.

March 31, 2020
added two more tanks.

April 1st, 2020.
Happy april fools! I've added a "tank" in the strange and prototype vehicles section!
(note that the april fools joke might be one day late or early due to time zones!)

April 4, 2020.
Added three new tanks to the guide.

April 7, 2020
Added two more tanks in a continuation section for the Strange and prototype vehicles.

April 13, 2020
Added three more prototype tanks, including the electric tank.

April 19, 2020
added two more tanks.

April - 28, 2020
I had to delay this update a lot, it's been quite hard to update since I am usually occupied with school work and such. But I will try more often!

May 12th, 2020.
Sorry that I haven't updated in a while, I had my birthday and important tests in school so I forgot. I didn't add any new tanks this time, but rather an entire new section containing small and short fun facts about Japanese armored warfare and tanks that you might not have known about. I'll try to update as soon as possible.

May 16th, 2020.
I added 2 more facts to the fun facts section.

May 24th, 2020.
I added one tank today, But I will try to add more in the coming days next week.

May 31th, 2020.
I added three more tanks to the tank variants section. summer break is coming up for me soon so I will have plenty of time to work the guide then.

June 12th, 2020.
I added two more tanks.

juli 8th. I am sorry, I have forgotten to update my guide once again and I apologise for this. I will try to remember in the future. I added two fun facts to the guide.

Juli 21th
Alright, it's been kinda hard to update it since I have been working at my summer job and have been very tired recently. I'll try to update when I can. I added one fact this time.

next update will likely be:
sometime soon.

Tank that might get added next update:
type 5 Chi-ri
type 93 light tank
type 2 Ku-se

[Coconut ネコぱら]

You could also add the Ho-To, it is actually a SPH.

[Coconut ネコぱら]

Will you add the Type 2 Ke-To light tank in the future to this list?

[Darjeeling]

One Word! Perfect.

[Shimakaze]

@07bsm, The Korean Flag Isn't Much Better For What They Did In Vietnam.

[Shimakaze]

"War Crime Flag" - It's The Imperial Flag That Has Been Around Since The 1600's And Even Sees <b>Service Today</b>. Stop Labeling At "The War Crime Flag" Because It Has Waged War. It's History, And History Is Over For The Imperial Japanese Army/Navy. Can You Just Look At Said Vehicles And Don't Care For The Flag For Once? Thanks.

[C10H14N2]

Thanks for posting the guide, but did you know that the profile picture was the war crimes flag used by Japan in WW2? Oh, and I am Korean. I hope you don't meet people who have similar views with me and be hated by them. Thanks for guiding me anyway!

[Sinisterisrandom]

Someone relying on Maiwaffentrager
respect man

[repoman]

cool

[Khieu]

hope to see you provide more info on type 95 heavy tank

[skitzbuckethatz]

excellent work