not sure if there is space for a 37mm but a 25mm maybe.
Type 96 25 mm Machine Cannon
also here is all the 37mm/small guns the jap used as far as i know.
Puteaux SA18 37 mm tank gun
And yet none of them appear to match up with the mystery cannon, so either it really is just a 13.2mm without flash hider as you said, or perhaps a dummy weapon for whatever reason.
Relevant book
I do have a full size image for the interior shot
Ke-To I think?
Bonus images
Te-Ke with Ha-To/Na-To/Chi-So appearance in background
And FYI, there are a handful of J-Tank magazines for sale on Hobbyland that can be shipped overseas.
Military Scale Model Specialty Store Hobbyland | Online shop Product list
Probably the ke-to
I can confirm this is the Ke-To. I can’t remember where it’s exactly from, but the last time I saw this image, it was stated to be a Ke-To undergoing practice with a local regiment.
Also do you have more photos like this?
It appears to be of the Ke-Ni A roadwheels
Unfortunately not, I suppose I can do a bit of research later to see if anything else arises though.
It is from this book though?
Correct, I sourced both images from a Twitter post.
The various modified Shermans of the JGSDF 👀
I am pretty confident that I have seen another photo or two of this prototype, probably on Twitter, although I could not find any at this time.
I knew of this one before, but type3fighter’s video gave me the context and date for this prototype.
As said in his video (translated):
“The first one is the Type 67 tank bridge. It was officially adopted, so it’s pretty well known. In fact, the history of its development is long, with basic research beginning in 1957, before the Type 61 was adopted. In 1961, a prototype vehicle was also built using the M4 chassis. A prototype vehicle using the Type 61 chassis was then produced and adopted as the Type 67 tank bridge in 1967.”
I do not have any full size versions of the first two photos, as I found them within one of type3fighter’s Youtube videos.
“The vehicle was designed for the purpose of constructing positions and placing explosives in enemy positions and blowing them up on battlefields where movement was restricted by enemy fire. Development began in 1962 (Showa 37), and a prototype SD based on the M4A3E8 was produced. Mitsubishi Heavy Industries was in charge of development.”
“The SD had the turret removed to provide an armored workroom, as well as a hydraulic dozer at the front of the hull. In addition, an A-type boom used for installing explosives and lifting heavy objects was installed on the upper part of the hull, but this was later removed and a 200 kg hydraulic crane diverted from civilian products was installed in the co-pilot’s seat instead. Along with this, a part of the workroom has been modified to be notched so as not to interfere with the crane’s turning.”
“This car was formalized in 1967 (Showa 42). Subsequently, a full-fledged vehicle was supposed to be produced based on the Type 61 tank, but it was canceled due to budget shortages and other reasons. After that, the prototype SD is said to have been used by the 7th Facilities Battalion.”
Possibly the most famous of the Japanese modified Shermans, it boasts a whopping 1,100 hp license-built Lycoming T-53 engine, which is also used in Japanese produced Bell 204 helicopters.
Recently, I found a new image on the official Kawasaki Heavy Industries website:
For further information regarding this vehicle, please refer to this excellent comment posted by schlee2393, which is properly sourced with historical Japanese literature as opposed to my original description which relied on third party information now deemed to be incorrect in some capacity.
Imagine how fast it would go lmao
I found a book that provides an in-depth explanation of the M4A3/T53. It’s titled 「純国産ガスタービンの開発」 (The Development of an All-Japanese Gas Turbine), written by Yukio Ohtsuki. He was the General Manager of the Gas Turbine Division at Kawasaki Heavy Industries and served as the lead engineer for the gas turbine research used in this tank from 1971 to 1973.
The book details the entire process of the project from beginning to end, though it doesn’t mention when exactly the turret was removed. However, the book does present quite a few facts that differ from what’s commonly known about this tank. Here’s a summary of the key points I discovered:
The first was conducted from 1968 to 1970 and titled “Research and Development of a Gas Turbine for Tanks (Driving Tests with a Gas Turbine Engine Installed)” (戦車用ガスタービンの開発研究(ガスタービンエンジン搭載走行テスト)).
The second was carried out from 1971 to 1973 under the title “Research on a Compact Heat Exchanger System for Gas Turbines” (ガスタービン用コンパクト熱交換器システムの研究).
The first project was led by section chiefs Iwao Yamamoto and Atsuhide Tanimura, and the second by Yukio Ootsuki, the author of the book.
The photo you posted was taken during the Fuji tests. Since the turret was clearly missing at that time, the only period when it might have still been attached is during the road tests in 1969.
Page 47
Here’s a brief timeline to summarize everything:
1968 – Start of the “Research and Development of a Gas Turbine for Tanks (Driving Tests with a Gas Turbine Engine Installed)”
1969 – On-site road driving tests at Kawasaki
1970 – Successful driving tests at the Fuji training ground; project concluded
1971 – Start of the “Research on a Compact Heat Exchanger System for Gas Turbines”
1972 – Test failure due to leakage in the heat exchanger
1973 – Project canceled due to budget issues
In conclusion, the only time period during which the turret might have still been attached was between August and December 1969. However, I wasn’t able to find any photos or records from that time. Overall, the Russian post you shared contains a lot of inaccurate information and unfortunately can’t be considered reliable.
Additionally, there is no evidence that this photo was taken in 1969. In the original journal, the “1969” text at the top of the image does not indicate when the photo was taken — it simply refers to the overall research project. Judging by the background, the photo was most likely taken during the 1970 test at the Fuji training ground.
Lastly, the only confirmed record I could find from the first research project is that it was presented at the 12th Technical Research Conference of the Defense Agency’s Technical Research and Development Institute on November 17, 1970, and that there’s some official documentation summarizing it. Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to obtain or read that material.
I also searched through the Defense Agency’s technical reports held at the National Diet Library, but I couldn’t find anything related to this particular project. Kawasaki or the Defense Agency probably still have internal records, but naturally, I don’t have access to them.Personally, I really like how unique this vehicle is, and I’d love to see it represented in a game someday. But realistically, I think I’ve reached the limit of what I can research on my own. I sincerely hope someone out there is able to collect and compile complete information on this fascinating vehicle.
Thank you so much for this source! While it’s unfortunate we don’t have any new photos or further details on whether or not the tank was modified before its turret was removed, it is always nice to see more verifiable information come to light regarding any of the mysterious prototype vehicles that MaiWaffentrager left us with many years ago.
