Top Japanese Weapons of WWII – Machine Guns and Pistols
Machine Guns
Type 100 Sub-Machine Gun (1940) – Though slow in adopting a weapon they could use in jungle combat, the Japanese eventually developed the Type 100 sub-machine gun. Production on the Type 100 only lasted about three years, as it was never viewed as a successful weapon. It did, however, serve as a prototype for the future development of a similar weapon of a more simple design with a greater rate of fire (1944 model).
T-99 Machine Gun – Invented in 1939, the T-99 fed into the chamber from the top. Its design was based on an earlier machine gun – the T-96. Because of the backup in Japan’s war industry, the T-99 came forth too late, making little impact on the war. Still, it was a huge improvement over previous Japanese weapons.
T-11 Machine Gun – This light machine gun was the first one the Japanese invented themselves. It was an unusual gun and far from perfect. Like many of the Japanese machine guns, it was only capable of automatic fire.
Pistols/Revolvers
Nambu Pistol – First produced in 1925, the purpose of this pistol was to supply the Japanese army with a cheap, easily-produced pistol. The major problem with this WWII weapon was, in order to remove the magazine, the gun had to be well-maintained and the individual’s hands had to be dry. This downfall is believed to have resulted in the death of many Japanese officers.
Type 94 Pistol – The Type 94 pistol was developed prior to WWII when the Japanese began seeking an even cheaper (than the Nambu) pistol. However, the Type 94 actually wound up being more expensive. First put into production in 1935, and despite being one of the worse pistols ever produced, close to 70,000 of them were produced.
Nambu Revolver – The first Nambu revolver dates back to 1893. Many of the features of this revolver were designed after western revolvers. Though well-built, this self-cocking revolver was incapable of single-action.
Top Japanese Weapons of WWII – Rifles
Type 99 – The Type 99 rifle was first introduced in 1939, though it was basically a modified (re-chambered) version of the 1938 rifle. It was fitted with a special sight that allowed a soldier to sight and hit an incoming airplane.
Arisaka - Because the Arisaka was designed in the 30th year of the Emporer Meiji (1897), it is more commonly known as the “30th Year Rifle”. The Arisaka was a much longer than average rifle – 50.25” and though its length exceeded the height of the majority of Japanese soldiers, it was a standard issue for Japan’s infantrymen. It remained in production until the end of WWII in 1945.
Several other variants of the Arisaka were used by the Japanese including the 38th Year Sniper and the 44 year Carbine. The 44 year carbine actually had a folding bayonet up under the muzzle.
Type 97 – Anti-tank Rifle – Weighing in at 152 lbs, the Type 97 was the heaviest of all anti-tank rifles. It took a crew of four to fire this fully-automatic rifle, which also capable of shooting high explosive rounds. The Japanese Navy used the Type 97 as an anti-aircraft gun.
The Japanese produced large quantities of the above weapons and used them extensively throughout WWII.
- Type 38 – over 3 million
- Type 99 – 3.5 million
- Type 30 rifles – 554,000