The following is a list of Japanese military equipment of World War II which includes artillery, vehicles and vessels, and other support equipment of both the Imperial Japanese Army (IJA), and Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) from operations conducted from start of Second Sino-Japanese War in 1937 to the end of World War II in 1945.
The Empire of Japan forces conducted operations over a variety of geographical areas and climates from the frozen North of China bordering Russia during the Battle of Khalkin Gol (Nomonhan) to the tropical jungles of Indonesia. Japanese military equipment was researched and developed along two separate procurement processes, one for the IJA and one for the IJN. Until 1943, the IJN usually received a greater budget allocation, which allowed for the enormous Yamato-class battleships, advanced aircraft such as the Mitsubishi A6M "Zero" series, and the world's largest submarines. In addition, a higher priority of steel and raw materials was allocated to the IJN for warship construction and airplane construction. It changed to a degree in 1944/45, when the Japanese home islands became increasingly under direct threat, but it was too late. Therefore, during the prior years the Imperial Japanese Army suffered by having a lower budget allocation and being given a lower priority as to raw materials, which eventually affected its use of equipment and tactics in engagements during World War II.
A majority of the materials used were cotton, wool, and silk for the fabrics, wood for weapon stocks, leather for ammunition pouches, belts, etc. But by 1943 material shortages caused much of the leather to be switched to cotton straps as a substitute.
Swords and bayonets
Small arms
Pistols (manual and semi-automatic)
Automatic pistols and submachine guns
Rifles
Grenades and grenade launchers
Flare guns
Recoilless rifles
Flamethrowers
Machine guns
Infantry and dual-purpose machine guns
Vehicle and aircraft machine guns
Artillery
Infantry mortars
Type 89 grenade discharger, or 'knee mortar,' firing grenades or 50mm shells. Type 98 50 mm mortar Type 11 70 mm infantry mortar (rifled bore) Type 97 81 mm infantry mortar Type 99 81 mm mortar – fired by hammer strike Type 94 90 mm infantry mortar Type 97 90 mm infantry mortar (simplified version of Type 94 90 mm infantry mortar) Type 2 12 cm mortar – actually heavy 150mm mortar, 90 made and used in 1932 Type 96 150 mm infantry mortar Type 97 150 mm infantry mortar (Type 96 150 mm infantry mortar with recoil absorber removed to save weight)
Heavy mortars & rocket launchers
Type 98 320 mm mortar
Type 4 20 cm rocket launcher
Type 3 300 mm heavy mortar on Type 4 Ha-To SP heavy mortar carrier
Type 4 40 cm rocket launcher
Type 5 mortar launcher "Tok" Type 10 and Type 3 rocket boosters
Field artillery
7cm mountain gun (75 mm caliber, short bronze barrel) Type 31 75 mm mountain gun (steel version) 7 cm field gun (75mm caliber, long bronze barrel) Type 31 75 mm field gun (steel version) Type 41 75 mm mountain gun (license-built Krupp M.08 mountain gun) Type 94 75 mm mountain gun (indigenous design to replace Type 41 75 mm mountain gun) Type 38 75 mm field gun (license-built Krupp gun) Type 41 75 mm cavalry gun (lengthened Type 38 75 mm field gun) Type 90 75 mm field gun (indigenous design to replace Type 38 75 mm field gun) Type 95 75 mm field gun (supersede Type 90 75 mm field gun to reduce costs) Type 99 10 cm mountain gun Krupp 10.5 cm cannon Type 38 10 cm cannon (license-built Krupp 105mm howitzer M1905) Type 91 10 cm howitzer (indigenous light-weight howitzer to supplement Type 38 15 cm howitzer) Type 14 10 cm cannon (indigenous design, largely unsuccessful) Type 92 10 cm cannon (replacement for Type 14 10 cm cannon) 120 mm Krupp howitzer M1905 Type 38 12 cm howitzer (license-built 120 mm Krupp howitzer M1905) Type 38 15 cm howitzer (license-built 150 mm Krupp QF howitzer M1905) Type 4 15 cm howitzer (changes of Type 38 15 cm howitzer to improve portability) Type 96 15 cm howitzer (intended replacement of Type 4 15 cm howitzer)
Fortress and siege guns
Type 7 10 cm cannon (early production of Type 14 10 cm cannon) Type 45 15 cm coast defense gun (1912) – barbette-mounted coastal defense gun Type 7 15 cm cannon Type 89 15 cm cannon -main heavy gun of Imperial Japanese Army Type 96 15 cm cannon 28 cm howitzer L/10 Type 45 24 cm howitzer (1912) – replacement for 28 cm howitzer L/10 Type 96 24 cm howitzer Type 90 24 cm railway gun – Built in France Type 7 30 cm howitzer (1918) – semi-mobile siege gun Experimental 41 cm howitzer