Type-10 tank (10式戦車) brought into service at GSDF training facility

Recently the Japanese government announced the introduction Type 10 tank at GSDF Fuji School in Shizuoka Prefecture

(Video Credit: Jiji Video News)

The Type-10 tank (10式戦車), manufactured by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries has been on the cards since the mid-1990s and, following the re-deployment of Ground Self-Defence Force units outside of Hokkaido (originally placed there because of the potential flash-point with the USSR) is now being rolled out.

Here is a demonstration video from last year.

As you can see, quite a nifty little vehicle. It also apparently has a Hydropneumatic Active Suspension, on license from Citroen of France I believe, for a smoother riding experience. Information on the prototype can be found here. Evidently, the Japanese defense industry in some fields is far more sophisticated than western analysts would give them credit forth.

Japan, contrary to popular belief has quite a sizeable Military budget (1% of the World’s 2nd largest economy adds up to quite a bit over the years) which was around $33.91 Billion in 2007 (for interest America was $741 Billion), less than the UK but more than Italy. Furthermore, only 0.8% of GDP was spent on defense in 2007. This contrasts to the US (5.2%), the UK (2.4%), Germany (1.5%) or France (2.6%). It goes to show that you don’t need a huge budget to come up with some decent hardware.

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It is also somewhat fitting that the Hoover Institution at Stanford University has just published the former president’s book on the Second World War entitled: “Freedom Betrayed: Herbert Hoover’s History of the Second World War and Its Aftermath” (thanks to Ampontan for discovering this, and his/her post that featured this is well worth a read). Hoover demonstrates that American foreign policy at the time was geared towards provoking Japan to strike first. Now, this in itself is not a fresh accusation nor is it ill-founded. What is interesting is that it demonstrates how FDR did deliberately not respond to approachments by an already exhausted Japanese military establishment. Why was FDR so keen on getting into Asia. The Cold War hadn’t begun yet and (we know America wanted Britain to give up it’s colonial activities) it was all but guaranteed that Britain could’t afford an empire anymore so technically, from an industrialists point of view American policymakers just had to sit on their hands and wait for the whole thing to blow over.

We are of course neglecting Roosevelt’s desire to engage in the European theatre, America’s promise that it would engage against the Axis powers. Surely however, dealing with one theatre of war would be enough, unless there was some sort of long-term security objective that was sought in the process. This isn’t meant to exonerate the Japanese or chastise the Americans. Perhaps they too were seeking a ‘secure sphere of influence’. Then again, perhaps that is another discussion for another day.