Type 61
In service 1961 - 2000
Japan's first postwar domestic tank, deliberately built small and light enough for Japanese railways, roads and bridges.
Built byMitsubishi Heavy Industries
Development history
Japan restarted tank design in the 1950s under tight national constraints: the vehicle had to cross Japanese bridges, fit Japanese rail gauges and suit the average height of Japanese crews, which ruled out simply buying M48s. The Type 61 used an air-cooled diesel - unusual for the period and a Japanese preference thereafter - and a US-pattern 90 mm gun. Production ran from 1961 to 1975, with 560 built, all for the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force and never exported or used in combat. Its armour and fire control were dated by the time it entered service, and the Type 74 replaced it from the mid-1970s, though the last Type 61s served until 2000.
Notable actions
- Cold War service (Japan Ground Self-Defense Force)