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The was a medium tank used by the Imperial Japanese Army during the Second Sino-Japanese War, the Battles of Khalkhin Gol against the Soviet Union, and the Second World War. It was the most widely produced Japanese medium tank of World War II, although the armor protection was average for a 1930s tank.〔Zaloga (Japanese Tanks) p. 11〕 The 57 mm main gun, designed for infantry support, was a carry over from the 1933 Type 89 medium tank. Later it was replaced by a 47 mm gun that was more effective against armor. The 170 hp Mitsubishi engine was a capable tank engine in 1938,〔 and – notably for the time – it was an air cooled diesel. After 1941, the tank was less effective than most Allied tank designs.〔(HistoryOfWar.org ) website〕 The Type 97's low silhouette and semicircular radio antenna on the turret distinguished the tank from its contemporaries. The crude suspension was derived from the Type 95 Ha-Go light tank, but used six road wheels instead of four.〔 ==History and development== With the Type 89 Chi-Ro fast becoming obsolete in the late 1930s, the Imperial Japanese Army (IJA) began a program to develop a replacement tank for infantry support. Experience during the invasion of Manchuria determined that the Type 89 was too slow to keep up with motorized infantry.〔Zaloga (Japanese Tanks) p. 8〕 The new medium tank was intended to be a scaled-up four-man version of the Type 95 Ha-Go light tank, although with a two-man turret, thicker armor, and more power to maintain performance. The Tokyo factory of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries completed a prototype designated ''Chi-Ha''. The second prototype was completed in June 1937. Although the requirement was for a 47 mm gun, it retained the same short-barreled 57 mm gun as the Type 89B tank. However, at the time IJA was more interested in the lighter Chi-Ni prototype proposed by Osaka Army Arsenal, because it was less expensive〔(World War II vehicles ) website〕〔 and had the same 57 mm gun.〔 The Second Sino-Japanese War broke out on 7 July 1937. Peacetime budgetary limitations were removed, and the more expensive Mitsubishi ''Chi-Ha'' model was accepted as a new Type 97 medium tank.〔 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 97 Chi-Ha」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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