The Type 90 tank, nicknamed "Kyumaru," which means "90" in Japanese, was commissioned in 341 units over 19 years from 1990 to 2009. Photo by Japan Ground Self-Defense Force
[Military Analyst Kim Daeyoung] After Japan's defeat in World War II, the country established a Peace Constitution in 1947 under the direction of the Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers. This Peace Constitution includes provisions that Japan will not wage war against other countries and will not maintain any military forces. Because of this, Japan was unable to create a traditional military and instead established a similar organization called the Self-Defense Forces. The Ground Self-Defense Force is very similar to our country's army.
The Ground Self-Defense Force is the branch of the Japan Self-Defense Forces responsible for land-based missions. Currently, the main battle tank of the Ground Self-Defense Force is the Type 90 tank. Nicknamed "Kyumaru," which means "90" in Japanese, the Type 90 tank was commissioned from 1990 to 2009, with a total of 341 units produced over 19 years. Initially, the Ground Self-Defense Force used American-made tanks. However, starting in 1955, Japan developed its first domestically produced tank since World War II, the Type 61 tank, which was adopted in 1961. In 1974, the second-generation Type 74 tank was put into service.
From the late 1970s, development of a third-generation tank began. At that time, the Cold War between East and West was at its peak, and Hokkaido, the northernmost part of Japan close to the Soviet Union, was expected to be a battlefield in the event of conflict. There were reports that the Soviet Union was deploying new tanks equipped with 125mm smoothbore guns, and Japan needed to prepare for these new Soviet tanks. The tank developed in the 1980s was adopted by the Ground Self-Defense Force in 1990 as the Type 90 tank. Production and system integration of the Type 90 tank are handled by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, a company known as a wartime enterprise in Korea. Mitsubishi Heavy Industries manufactures the hull and turret, while Japan Steel Works produces the 120mm smoothbore gun for the Type 90 tank.
The current unit price of the Type 90 tank is 800 million yen (approximately 9.2 billion KRW), which is somewhat cheaper compared to the K2 tank operated by our army, which costs around 10 billion KRW per unit. However, during the early production phase, the unit price reached 1 billion yen (approximately 11.1 billion KRW), leading to evaluations that it was the most expensive among third-generation tanks.
The Type 90 tank boasts high firing capabilities due to its 120mm smoothbore gun and advanced fire control system. Notably, it was the first third-generation tank to adopt an autoloader. Thanks to the autoloader, the crew size was reduced by one, totaling three members. The armor was the first in Japanese tanks to use composite armor. Most Type 90 tanks have been deployed to the Northern Army of the Ground Self-Defense Force located in Hokkaido, and their operational area was limited to Hokkaido.
However, since the 2010 National Defense Program Guidelines emphasized "dynamic defense capabilities," training has been conducted to enable the Type 90 tank to operate in regions beyond Hokkaido.
▶Type 90 Tank Specifications= [Crew] 3, [Weight] approximately 50 tons, [Length] 9.80 m, [Width] 3.40 m (including skirts), [Height] 2.30 m (standard posture), [Maximum Speed] 70 km/h, [Engine] Air-cooled 2-cycle 10-cylinder diesel engine 1,500 ps / 2,400 rpm, [Armament] 120mm smoothbore gun, 12.7mm heavy machine gun, Type 74 tank-mounted 7.62mm machine gun, [Development] Defense Agency Technical Research Headquarters, [Manufacturing] Turret and hull: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, 120mm gun: Japan Steel Works (Source: Japan Ground Self-Defense Force)
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
