Overview
- A 120mm anti-tank projectile ruptured inside a Type 10 tank turret during live-fire training at Hijudai on April 21, killing three personnel inside the turret and leaving a fourth seriously injured.
- The Japan Ground Self-Defense Force has suspended all Type 10 live-fire drills and is conducting a forensic and technical investigation that officials and sources say could stretch to around a year with no restart date set.
- The Type 10 stores rounds in or beside the turret and uses a belt autoloading system to load the gun, a design detail investigators are examining to determine whether a munition fault, the autoloading mechanism, or procedures caused the internal rupture.
- Other live-fire activity at Hijudai will resume for non-Type 10 weapons from May 25 after equipment checks and training adjustments, but nationwide Type 10 shooting remains halted pending the probe.
- The accident has renewed scrutiny of tanks in Japan’s defense posture, raising questions about crew safety, training practices, and how ongoing forensic findings could affect readiness and public confidence.