Armored vehicle development and fielding suffered as a result a shift to designs with heavier armor and larger guns to fight against the larger tanks of the Allies came too late for the Japanese to field superior tanks on the battlefield. Aside from the invasion of Malaya, and the Philippines, large-scale Japanese use of tanks was limited during the early years of the war and therefore development of newer designs were not given high priority as the Japanese strategy shifted to a 'defensive orientation' after the 1941-42 victories. During the mid-1930s, the 'tank actions' there were mainly against opposing infantry as the Chinese National Revolutionary Army had only three tank battalions consisting of Vickers export tanks, German PzKpfw I light tanks, and Italian CV33 tankettes. Many Japanese designs were of tankettes and light tanks, for use in campaigns in Manchuria and elsewhere in China. Japan took interest in tanks and procured some of the foreign designs, and then went to build its own. During and after World War I, Britain and France were the intellectual leaders in tank design, with other countries generally following and adopting their designs. After the war, many nations needed to have tanks, but only a few had the industrial resources to design and build them. The First World War established the validity of the tank concept.

This article deals with the history and development of tanks of the Japanese Army from their first use after World War I, into the interwar period, during World War II, the Cold War and modern era.

Japanese Type 95 Ha-Go first prototype, 1934

Current chinese main battle tank