Type 97-Kai

Type 97 ShinHoTo Chi-Ha
Type 97 Shinhoto Chi-Ha on display at the United States Army Ordnance Museum in Aberdeen
Type	Medium tank
Place of origin	Empire of Japan
Production history
Designed	1939-1941
No. built	930
Specifications (Type 97-Kai as of 1942)
Weight	16 tonnes (18 tons)
Length	5.50 m (18 ft 1 in)
Width	2.33 m (7 ft 8 in)
Height	2.38 m (7 ft 10 in)
Crew	5 (Commander, gunner, loader, bow gunner, driver)
Armor	Turret front: 33 mm Turret sides: 26 mm Hull front: 25 mm Hull sides: 26 mm Hull rear: 20 mm
Main armament	1 x Type 1 47 mm tank gun
Secondary armament	2 x 7.7 mm Type 97 machine guns
Engine	Mitsubishi SA12200VD air-cooled V-12 diesel (21.7 litres) 170 hp (125 kW) at 2,000 rpm
Suspension	Bell crank
Operational range	210 km (130 mi)
Speed	38 km/h (24 mph)

The Type 97 ShinhoTo Chi-Ha was a Japanese medium tank used in World War II that was an upgrade to the original Type 97 Chi-Ha. The new version was designated Type 97-Kai ("improved") or Shinhoto Chi-Ha ("new turret" Chi-Ha). This design was probably the best tank Japan produced in any large quantity up to 1945.

Japanese Army observers had watched tank developments in Europe and studied as avidly as any European military the operational experiences gained by German, Soviet, and Italian tanks in the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939). In order to improve the anti-tank capability of the Type 97 Chi-Ha, a new enlarged three-man turret armed with a high-velocity 47 mm gun was combined with the Chi-Ha's hull; hence the new name Kai ("improved") or ShinHoTo ("new turret"). In 1942, it replaced the original model Type 97 in production. In addition "about 300" of the Type 97 tanks with the older model turret and 57 mm main gun were converted.

When the Type 97 entered service, properly equipped and supported mechanized infantry units were realized. The Type 97 ShinHoTo first saw action at the Battle of Corregidor in the Philippines in 1942. The Japanese commanders showed a "skillful and imaginative use of tanks" during the early string of victories of the Japanese military forces. The skill with which they maneuvered their mechanized infantry divisions was best seen in the Japanese invasion of Malaya, where the lighter weight of Japanese medium tanks allowed for a rapid ground advance so heavily supported by armor that British defenders never had a chance to establish effective defense lines.

While vulnerable to opposing Allied tanks (such as the M3 Lee/Grant, M4 Sherman and Soviet T-34), the 47 mm high-velocity gun did give the Type 97 ShinHoTo a fighting chance against them. The 47 mm gun was effective against light tanks and against the sides and rear of the Sherman tank. For this reason, some ShinHoTo Chi-Ha tanks were dug in concealed positions to ambush the American tanks and others were dug in to form the core of "strong points" defending during the battles for Luzon and at Iwo Jima in 1945. The Type 97 ShinHoTo Chi-Ha served against allied forces throughout the Pacific and East Asia as well as the Soviets during the July–August 1945 conflict in Manchuria.