Japan had acquired a few British Whippet tanks in 1918, but made very little use of them; they were assigned to the Infantry School, though two were deployed to Vladivostok at the end of the Russian Civil War. The acquisition of 13 French Renault FT light tanks the following year proved to be more useful. These were assigned to the 1st Tank Unit of the 12th Division in 1925, and in 1932 some were sent to Manchuria, where they saw action against the Red Army. Upgraded NC27 Renaults were purchased during the 1920s, and were known in Japanese service as the Renault "Otsu-Gata." Japan considered purchasing other foreign tanks, but only the obsolete Renault FTs were available. Despite their lack of experience, the Japanese Army's Technical Bureau was directed to commence development of a light tank in 1925. The First prototype was too heavy, but a second design was developed, resulting in the Type 89 (1929). This weighed over 10 tons, so was reclassified as a medium tank; production did not begin until 1931. During this same period Japan purchased a British Vickers light tank for study, and a valuable lesson was learned from this tank when its gasoline engine caught fire - this convinced the Japanese to engine their tanks with less easily ignitable diesels.
Posts
