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Why were Japanese Tanks so bad?

Japanese Tanks in WW2 are often seen as a joke, yet, before the war the Japanese were among the leaders when it came to tank production and development. This is apparent if one looks at the literature of the time. Disclaimer: I was invited by the Tank Museum at Bovington to Tankfest 2019. Cover Image: Bagnall, Frank N.: 1 October 1942. New Guinea. Australian militia forces successfully overcame a Japanese attempt to land at Milne Bay. This picture shows one of two Japanese type 95 Ha-go light tanks that became bogged on the track near the Gama River and were abandoned during the Japanese attack. Australian War Memorial under the ID Number: 013318. This image is of Australian origin and is now in the public domain because its term of copyright has expired. According to the Australian Copyright Council (ACC), ACC Information Sheet G023v17 (Duration of copyright) (August 2014) https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Japanese_type_95_tank_at_Milne_Bay.jpg Cover Colorization and adaptation by vonKickass. »» GET OUR BOOK «« » Army Regulation Medium Panzer Company 1941 - http://www.hdv470-7.com »» SUPPORT MHV «« » patreon, see videos early (adfree) - https://www.patreon.com/join/mhv » subscribe star - https://www.subscribestar.com/mhv » paypal donation - https://paypal.me/mhvis »» MERCHANDISE «« » teespring - https://teespring.com/stores/military-history-visualized » SOURCES « Barnhart, Michael A.: Japan prepares for Total War: The Search for Economic Security, 1919 - 1941. Cornell paperbacks, 7. printing, Cornell Univ. Press: Ithaca, New York, USA, 2009. Coox, Alvin D.: The Effectiveness of the Japanese Military Establishment in the Second World War. In: Millet, Allan R. (ed.); Murray, Williamson (ed.): Military Effectiveness. Volume 3. The Second World War. New Edition. Cambridge University Press: New York, USA, 2010. Drea, Edward J.: In the Service of the Emperor: Essays on the Imperial Japanese Army. Univ. of Nebraska Press: Lincoln, USA, 1998. Drea, Edward J.: Japan’s Imperial Army. Its Rise and Fall, 1853-1945. Kansas University Press, USA: 2009. Rottman, Gordon L.; Takizawa, Akira: World War II Japanese Tank Tactics. Osprey Publishing: Oxford, UK, 2015 (2008). Zaloga, Steven J.: Japanese Tanks 1939-45. Osprey Publishing: Oxford, UK, 2011 (2007). Heigl, Fritz: Heigl’s Taschenbuch der Tanks. Teil II. Panzererkennungsdienst G - Z, Panzerzüge und Panzerdraisinen. Neuauflage der Ausgabe von 1935, J. F. Lehmanns Verlag: München, Germany, 1971. Ness, Leland: Rikugun. Guide to Japanese Ground Forces 1937-1945. Volume I: Tactical Organization of Imperial Japanese Army & Navy Ground Forces. Helion & Company Ltd: Solihull, UK, 2016 (2014). Evans, David C.; Peattie, Mark R.: Kaigun: Strategy, Tactics, and Technology in the Imperial Japanese Navy, 1887-1941. Naval Institute Press: Annapolis, Maryland, USA, 2012. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Machinist #JapaneseTanksWW2,#JapaneseTanksBad,#JapaneseTanksWeak

Comments

S & C C

Terrific thanks - it seems the case that a lot of the nations that were heavily invested in tank development in the early 30s seemed to then not develop them or their doctrines later in the decade?

Sean Tyson

Thanks very much, Bernhard. I had always wondered by Japan never developed tanks in line with the rest of the world, though the reason is obvious, now that you've pointed it out. Japan has to import almost everything needed for a modern industrialized society today, and this has always been the case. A large part of their motivation for their expansionist policy in the '30s and '40s was the need to acquire reliable sources of strategic materials, including petroleum, rubber and steel, of course. Given especially the drain on steel by the navy, it actually makes me wonder why they bothered to make anything more than armored cars and built only man-portable or perhaps towed AT guns, at most. Great video, as always.

Military History Visualized

I might be wrong on this, but I think the initial investments were "cheap" in the sense that if one continues down that path and wants to make it serious it gets really expensive fast. So making a few dozen or maybe 1-2 hundred tanks can be done "easily", but if one wants to go for a thousand tanks with proper supporting troops etc. then it becomes a huge investment that must be justified.

Military History Visualized

thank you, yeah, it is quite interesting how much they actually did. I assume it is also due to this (copy paste from another comment I made): I think the initial investments were "cheap" in the sense that if one continues down that path and wants to make it serious it gets really expensive fast. So making a few dozen or maybe 1-2 hundred tanks can be done "easily", but if one wants to go for a thousand tanks with proper supporting troops etc. then it becomes a huge investment that must be justified.