The Japanese Type 95 Ha-Go was developed by the Japanese in 1930, as a replacement for the Type 89 Medium tank which could not keep up with the motorized infantry, which could move at 40 km/h by truck.
Tomio Hara of the Army Technical Bureau proposed a new light tank capable of 40 km/h speed and started development in 1933.
The first prototype would be tested in 1934, due to doubts by the infantry as to its capability for infantry support it was tested in Manchuria in the winter of 1934/1935.
The Type 95 was still superior to the available alternatives of the Type 92 cavalry tank and Type 94, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries started production of the tank in 1936 and Mass production began in 1938.
The Type 95 was a 7.4-ton vehicle with a complement of 3 crewmen: a commander, a hull machine gunner, and a driver. Only the commander was seated in the turret, hence he was responsible for observation, loading, aiming, firing the main gun, as well as decision-making and commanding the crew.
The tank was considered one of the best of its type in 1935, being armed with a 37 mm cannon, and powered by a diesel engine, a fuel considered by some to be superior due to its low volatility.
It would serve as cavalry reconnaissance and to a lesser extent, as raiding vehicles. Its speed was about 18 mph cross country, which was comparable to the M3 Stuart's 20 mph nearly 6 years later in 1941.
By 1941 it would be far inferior in armour but would still be a competitive
because of it's mobility on small roads of the islands it saw combat on.
Type 95 proved sufficient against opposing infantry in campaigns in Manchuria and China, however it was not designed to fight other tanks, but for infantry support, the hand-operated turret was small and extremely cramped and it short wheelbase made it a bit of a uncomfortable ride.
The Type 95 would be produced from 1936 until 1943 and would see action on almost all the the Japanese held island, it would be outclassed in anyway in the later staged of the war, by the Sherman tank.
Production number would reach 2,300 at the end of the war.
九五式軽戦車（きゅうごしきけいせんしゃ）は、1930年代中期に大日本帝国で開発・採用された戦車（軽戦車）。秘匿名称「ハ号」※「ハゴ」、「ハゴ車」は誤り。（「イ号」は八九式中戦車、「ロ号」は九五式重戦車）。
日本戦車としては最多の2,378輛が生産され、九七式中戦車 チハ（チハ車）とともに第二次世界大戦で活躍し、日本軍の代表的な軽戦車として知られている。
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■ Information obtained from several sites.
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■ the.shadock.free.fr/Tanks_in_France
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