![]() Lacking a domestic automobile industry, the Japanese had to design almost every aspect of their new tank from scratch. A few Renault M1917 light tanks were imported to train a cadre, while Japanese tank designers led by the young engineer Tomio Hara began work on the first domestic tank design. Over the next several years the Imperial Army obtained a total of 16 tanks of various models, and in 1925 decided to form a force of four tank battalions. ![]() Observers attached to the British Army tried to keep their superiors informed of new developments, and when reports came of the strange new machines called “tanks,” the Japanese asked the British to provide a sample.Ī British Mark IV tank was imported in 1918, along with a British crew to demonstrate its capabilities. The Imperial Japanese Army saw little combat in the First World War, its battlefield experience not extending far beyond conquest of the German naval base at Tsingtao.
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