japan part 1

[b]Japan[/b]

Soon, the battlefields of World of Tanks will see new tanks under the flag of the Land of the Rising Sun. Their homeland is Japan. This is a fascinating civilization, which attracted the attention of travelers, traders, historians, and invaders since ancient times. In the endless wars, internal and external, Japan developed a society of proud and ruthless warriors. These men carried the traditions of their ancestors through the ages and placed them in their fighting machines.

In these series of historical articles, we will tell you how Japan, in several decades, walked the path from an undeveloped agrarian society to a superpower with a powerful army, air force, and navy, track the armoured forces of this country, and the people that created them.

By the middle of the 19th century, Japan fell far behind the European powers and the USA. Colonial empires were hard at work splitting up the world and fighting over influence in less developed regions. For example, China, once a great nation, sank in disarray and was being actively robbed. In 1853, the first American military ships appeared on the coast of Japan, and it was clear who the next victim will be.

Japan refused to obediently wait while their country became a colony. The progressive part of the population moved to modernize the country, while the conservative elements favoured isolationist policies. This difference of opinions, multiplied by centuries of conflict, grew into a civil war. Power eventually returned to the Emperor, and the country began some reforms. This was the start of the era of the Japanese Empire.

1868-1889 is known as the Meiju Restoration. This is the period when the foundations of the modern structure of Japan were placed. A constitution was adopted, power was split up, military and educational reforms were carried out. Most importantly, the economy of the country made a great leap. Heavy manufacturing was built up from practically nothing, which allowed Japan to later produce quality military equipment.

Political and economical threats from Europe and the USA pushed the Japanese to decisive and aggressive actions to maintain independence. Successful wars against China (1894-1895) and the Russian Empire (1904-1905) strengthened Japan, and made it a regional power when WWI (1914-1918) began, in which it was also among the victorious nations.

It is known that the battlefields of WWI were the first to see tanks. This new wonder-weapon was interesting to the Japanese military, which was aiming to catch up to the leaders in the arms race. The Japanese promptly purchased British MkIV and MkA Whippet tanks for trials, as well as French FT-17 Renault and M21 Cheniliet. The modernized Whippet and Renault tanks became the backbone of the Japanese armoured forces.

In the second half of the 1920s, power migrated to the military, which was very popular in the country. Japan entered a new period, characterized by an increase of militarism and nationalism. In these conditions, development of new armament, especially tanks, boomed.

The Japanese were ready for aggressive action against China and other Asian countries. In order to capture vast territories, they required vehicles capable of fighting in any conditions: plains, mountains, jungles. It was obvious that the fleet of foreign vehicles, consisting at that point of Vickers MkC, Vickers 6-ton, and Renault NC-27, was insufficient. The foreign machines were expensive, and difficult to service due to a lack of parts. It was obvious that a domestic tank was required, especially since Japan already had the potential to manufacture its own tanks.

16 tanks were designed in the 1920s and 1930s in Japan, 7 of which entered mass production. We will speak of these vehicles in the next article.