This absorbing new history charts the course of Japanese tank development, doctrine and use in combat operations and deployments conducted between 1932 and 1945. Drawing upon archive material, David McCormack debunks the myth that all Japanese tanks were badly designed, lightly armoured and poorly built. 

Moreover, in his second book on Japanese military history – the first was the critically acclaimed Japan at War 1931-45: As the Cherry Blossom Falls – McCormack persuasively argues the case that Japanese tank design kept pace with, and in some respects surpassed European and American developments during the 1930s. 

This fascinating and detailed account also considers the combat potential of the last generation of Japanese tanks, which were produced in relatively small numbers during the latter stage of the war and were exclusively reserved for home defence. 

Japanese Tanks and Armoured Warfare 1931-45: A Military and Political History is nothing less than a complete reappraisal of Japanese armoured forces with many interesting period photographs.