However, the greatest problem was equipping these units, as the Japanese did not have any indigenous tank production capability at that time. Trials with these vehicles were successful, and the army decided to establish an armored force in 1925, planning to form three light tank battalions and one heavy tank battalion. The Mk IV was purchased in October 1918 while the Whippets and Renaults were acquired in 1919. These models included one British Heavy Mk IV and six Medium Mark A Whippets, along with thirteen French Renault FTs (later designated Ko-Gata Sensha or 'Type A Tank'). Near the end of World War I, the Japanese showed an interest in armored warfare and tanks and obtained a variety of models from foreign sources. Initial tank procurement Japanese Whippets Later, during the last year of World War II the newest and best Japanese designs were not used in combat they were kept back in expectation of defending the Japanese Home Islands.

Although initially the Japanese used tanks to good effect in their campaigns, full-scale armored warfare did not occur in the Pacific and Southeast Asian theaters as it did in Europe, and tank development was neglected in favor of naval activities. The Imperial Japanese Army (IJA) initially purchased foreign tanks for evaluation during World War I, and began developing its own indigenous designs during the late 1920s.ĭue to the war with China, Japan produced a large number of tanks.

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