• Military Menu                       

• Introduction
• Systems
• Facilities
• Agencies
• Industry
• Operations
• Countries
• Hot Documents
• News
• Reports
• Policy
• Budget
• Congress
• Links

• WMD
• Intelligence
• Homeland Security
• Space

Japanese Armor Classification and Terminology

Japan's vehicle numbering system is a somewhat muddled and complex affair, but it can be greatly simplified by understanding that Japanese model numbers have nothing to do with weight or class, but rather, with a numbering system based upon traditional dates related to the foundation of the modern Japanese state.

Prior to 1926, these dates were based upon years passed since the accession of the reigning emperor. In 1926, however, Japanese law mandated that the dating system change to a program based upon the traditional foundation of Japan as an independent nation, reckoned at approximately 2,586 years as of 1926. Thereafter, Japanese weapons of all types were classified based upon this new system, using the last two digits of the four digit year. Thus, a vehicle, weapon, even a helmet design produced in 1926 would be classified as a 'Type 86' so-and-so.

The new dating system was neither universally adopted nor universally popular. In the first place, many weapons systems, uniform patterns, radios, and so forth, had already been developed, and a great many of these were produced using the dating system. Thus, the Type 38 Arisaka Rifle had been developed in year 38 of the reign of the Meiji Emperor, and the new dating system did not change this terminology. Nevertheless, when the modern rifle developed in the 1930s for replacement of the Type 38 was finally accepted for general service in 1939, it was given a model number based upon the new system, so that the Type 99 Rifle, though a natural evolution of the Type 38, was given an entirely different (and confusing) model number.

And it gets even better. The Japanese Military was very fond of pre-planning projects. Names for weapons systems, even conceptual weapons systems, were developed YEARS before even a prototype was prepared, so that numbers were sometimes assigned based upon the year in which the need for such a weapon first became apparent. This was particularly common in the production of aircraft, and most importantly for the purposes of our discussion, in the production of tanks. Confusingly, this was not followed consistently, nor (strangely), were new iterations or developments of previous designs given unique names.

Thus, the Type 97 Chi-Ha medium tank, while not ready for general service until 1939, was initially conceived in 1937 and assigned the model number for that particular year (2597). Later, the Chi-He Medium tank, conceived in 1941, was given the designator 'Type 1 Medium Tank' (developed in the year 2601), despite the fact that it was not actually produced until 1942. This number was,occasionally, appended with a character designator, so that the Type 89 Chi-Ro-Otsu can be read as: Year 2589 (1929) Medium Tank (Chi), Ro-Otsu variant.

To add yet further confusion, it must be stated that many Japanese armored vehicles of different types were conceived or developed in the same year, so that the Type 97 designator actually applies to more than one type of vehicle, of more than one type of size. As a means of extricating themselves from hopeless confusion, Japanese tankers frequently applied nicknames to their vehicles, and these have carried over into the lingua franca of military historians and wargamers. Thus, the Type 97B with with the improved turret is probably better known in the Western World as the Shinhoto, or "New Turret", as it was called by the men who crewed the vehicle.

By Western standards, Japanese armor was extremely light, both in weight and in terms of armor protection. Japanese weight classifications were as follows.

• Tankettes were tanks of up to 5 tons.
• Light Tanks were tanks of 5 to 10 tons.
• Medium Tanks were tanks of 10 to 20 tons.
• Heavy Tanks were tanks of over 20 tons.

The Japanese Armed Forces had no word for armored fighting vehicles, and so a new word was created, using the words for battle (Sen) and wagon (Sha). The result was what has since become common parlance in Japanese military circles for tanks. The term Sensha, "Battle Wagon" [plural of this term is Senshan], incidentally, was also applied to battleships. Nothing simple with the Japanese military.

Generic type names, based upon written Japanese characters, were applied to each weight classification. These, however, were not always followed in practice.

• Tankettes were known as Choki Sensha
• Light Tanks were known as Ki Sensha
• Medium Tanks were known as Chi Sensha
• Heavy Tanks, were known as Ju Sensha

There were, apparently, no special prefixes employed for Armored Cars, which were instead generally referred to by their make and manufacturer (Sumida, Osaka, etc.) Self-Propelled guns, however, were designated by type with Japanese character names. Ho type Self-Propelled guns were armed with Howitzers, but the prefix Ho was also used to refer to prime movers and half-tracks. Ha type self-propelled guns were armed with mortars. So type self-propelled guns were anti-aircraft pieces.

Quite a few additional terms existed. Those which might be encountered include armored recovery vehicles, designated Se, and command variants, frequently referred to with the Shi prefix.