JSDF Type 74 in Toyokawa

How many Japanese tanks do you know?

This Type 74 is a major tanks in Japan after WW2. It is exhibited in Toyokawa base.

In cold war 1945～1989, Japan was a member of West. Japan was facing the Soviet Union across the sea . Especially Japan was focusing on the defense of Hokkaido. Japan was afraid of Soviet army landing on Hokkaido. So Japan developed domestic tank （First time rented from USA）.

First Japanese domestic tank is Type 61 in 1961. Type 74 is the successor, it productid 1974～1989.

Type 74 has 105mm gun and inclined armor, it was trend in the time.

The almost same time, T-72 started of production. So they are rival !

Type 74’s total production is 873. Now they are old, so some of them retired.

But over 200 is used now, and defense Japan 🙂