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was a medium tank of Imperial Japanese Army in World War II. It was an improved version of the Type 97 ''Chi-Ha'', incorporating a Type 3 75 mm Tank Gun, one of the largest Japanese tank guns during the war. The ''Chi-Nu'' did not see combat during the war. All produced units were retained for the defence of the Japanese Homeland in case of an Allied invasion. ==History and development== At the beginning stage of Pacific War, Type 97 ''Chi-Ha'' and Type 95 ''Ha-Go'' (light tank) were the backbone of the Imperial Japanese Army. As the war progressed, these tanks started to face significant challenges posed by Allied tanks. In Burma Campaign and Philippines Campaign, the firepower of the 57 mm cannon mounted on the Type 97 was proven to be insufficient against Allied tanks. The Imperial Japanese Army therefore developed the Type 1 47 mm tank cannon which had higher armor penetrating power. This cannon was later mounted on Type 97 ''Chi-Ha'' and Type 1 ''Chi-He'' Medium Tanks. The arrival of new tank cannons made it possible for Japanese armored forces to stand against Allied tanks. At the later stage of the war, large numbers of American M4 Sherman tanks arrived at the front line and put new pressure on Japanese armored forces. The Imperial General Headquarters (大本営 Daihon'ei) decided to develop a new tank to counter the enemy threat as well as a replacement for the Type 97 and Type 95. The Army Technical Bureau had been working on the Type 4 ''Chi-To'' medium tank as the counter to the M4 Sherman, but there were problems and delays in the program. As a result a stopgap tank was required. The Type 3 medium tank ''Chi-Nu'' was developed to cope with the M4 Sherman.〔(Taki )〕 Work on the Type 3 ''Chi-Nu'' started in May 1943 and was finished by October, just six months later. The low priority given to tank production by 1943 meant that the Type 3 did not actually enter production until 1944, by which time raw materials were in very short supply, and much of Japan's industrial infrastructure had been destroyed by American strategic bombing.〔Tomczyk, Andrzej, ''Japanese Armor Vol. 4'', p. 3.〕 A total of 166 units were produced (55 units in 1944, 111 units in 1945). The Type 3 ''Chi-Nu'' was the last tank that was fielded by the Imperial Japanese armed forces, and was still in production at the end of the war.〔Zaloga, ''Japanese Tanks 1939-45''〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Type 3 Chi-Nu」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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