| Error creating thumbnail: File missing Join our Discord! |
| If you have been locked out of your account you can request a password reset here. |
Howa Type 89
When the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (JGSDF) was looking for a new assault rifle to replace the aging 7.62x51mm Howa Type 64 , Howa Machinery Co. of Japan designed and developed the Type 89 assault rifle, chambered for the 5.56x45mm NATO round. It is much lighter than the Type 64 and is a modern assault rifle comparable to the M4A1, the SIG SG 551, and the Heckler & Koch G36. The Type 89's design resembles the US-designed AR-18 assault rifle, which was manufactured by Howa under license from ArmaLite. It replaced the Howa Type 64 as the main battle rifle of the JGSDF in 1989, even though the Type 64 is still used in secondary units and Coast Guard units. In 2019, Japan adopted the Howa Type 20 and acquired their first batch in 2020, though total replacement of the Type 89 remains far off.
Specifications
(1989 - Present)
- Type: Assault Rifle
- Caliber: 5.56x45mm NATO
- Weight: 7.7 lbs (3.5 kg)
- Length: 36.1 in (91.6 cm)
- Barrel length: 16.5 in (42 cm)
- Feed System: STANAG Magazines
- Fire Modes: Semi-Auto/Burst-3/Full-Auto
The Howa Type 89 and variants can be seen in the following films, television series, video games, and anime used by the following actors:
Film
| Title | Actor | Character | Note | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gamera 2: Assault of the Legion | JGSDF soldiers | 1996 | ||
| Godzilla vs. Megaguirus | G-Graspers headquarters guards | 2000 | ||
| Stacy: Attack of the Schoolgirl Zombies | Katsuyuki Yamazaki | Arita | 2001 | |
| Yoji Tanaka | Rokuyama | |||
| Makoto Sakamoto | Matsui | |||
| uncredited | Hasangui | |||
| Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S. | JGSDF soldiers | 2003 | ||
| Samurai Commando: Mission 1549 | JGSDF soldiers | 2005 | ||
| Samurai | ||||
| Kyôka Suzuki | Rei Kanzaki | |||
| Yôsuke Eguchi | Yusuke Kashima | |||
| Daisuke Shima | Mikuni | |||
| Kôji Matoba | Yoda | |||
| D-Day (Den'D) | Enemy soldier | Airsoft | 2008 | |
| Pandemic | JSDF members | 2009 | ||
| Lust of the Dead 2 | Survivors | 2013 | ||
| Library Wars | Kanto Library Defense Force soldiers | 2013 | ||
| Nana Eikura | Iku Kasahara | |||
| Junichi Okada | Atsushi Dojo | |||
| As the Gods Will | JSDF soldiers | 2014 | ||
| Godzilla | Monarch security | Airsoft | 2014 | |
| Before We Vanish | JGSDF soldiers | 2017 |
Television
| Title | Actor | Character | Note | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Black and White | Lao Tou's guard | 2009 | ||
| Alice in Borderland - Season 2 | Sho Aoyagi | Aguni Morizono | 2022 |
Video Games
| Game Title | Appears as | Mods | Notation | Release Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Joukyou Kaishi! | Type 89 | 2005 | ||
| Rainbow Six 3: Iron Wrath | Type 89F | Paratrooper model | 2005 | |
| Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory | Used by JGSDF soldiers | 2005 | ||
| Splinter Cell: Double Agent | 2006 | |||
| Operation 7 | 2006 | |||
| Forbidden Siren 2 | "Type 89 Rifle" | 2006 | ||
| Alliance of Valiant Arms | Type89 | Available to Japanese players only | 2007 | |
| Cross Fire | Type89 | 2007 | ||
| Type89-Custom | with Aimpoint sight, silencer and flashlight | |||
| Combat Arms | 2008 | |||
| Yakuza: Dead Souls | Used by JGSDF soldiers | 2011 | ||
| Glorious Missions | Type 89 Scope and Weapon Lights (Veteran JGSDF Soldier Only) | Non-player weapon, used by JGSDF soldiers and terrorists | 2012 | |
| S.K.I.L.L - Special Force 2 | 2013 | |||
| Warface | Howa Type 89 Custom | heavy customized | 2013 | |
| Rainbow Six: Siege | Type-89 | w/ various attachments | Introduced in Operation Red Crow expansion (2016) | 2015 |
Anime
| Title | Character | Note | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Patlabor: The Movie | JGSDF soldiers | 1989 | |
| Patlabor: The Movie 2 | JGSDF soldiers | 1993 | |
| Memories ("Stink Bomb") | JGSDF soldiers | 1995 | |
| Devil Lady | SAT, guardians | 1998-1999 | |
| Takae | "God" (E25) | ||
| Takeshi Maki | |||
| Luv Wave | Alice | 2000 | |
| Amon: The Darkside of The Devilman | JGSDF soldier | 2000 | |
| WXIII: Patlabor the Movie 3 | JGSDF soldiers | 2001 | |
| Digimon Tamers | JGSDF soldiers | 2001 - 2002 | |
| RahXephon | JGSDF soldiers | 2002 | |
| Yukikaze | Japanese soldiers | 2002 - 2005 | |
| Desert Punk | Mercenary | 2004 | |
| Zipang | JMSDF sailors | 2004 | |
| Ghost in the Shell Stand Alone Complex 2nd Gig | Ishikawa and Kuze | Outfitted with futuristic furniture with hybrid cybernetic/optical sights and underbarrel M203 grenade launcher | 2004 - 2005 |
| Starship Operators | Amaterasu crewmembers | Modified to appear futuristic | 2005 |
| Full Metal Panic! | JGSDF soldiers | 2005 | |
| Karas | JSDF soldiers | 2005-2007 | |
| Ergo Proxy | Quinn | "Return Home/Domecoming" (E06) | 2006 |
| Saikano | JGSDF soldiers | 2006 | |
| The Strange Case Files of Ryoko Yakushiji | Japanese Private Police, Kazuma Nonagase, Yukiko Muromachi | 2008 | |
| Library War | Library Defense Force soldiers | 2008 | |
| Sound of the Sky | 2010 | ||
| High School of the Dead | 2010 | ||
| Puella Magi Madoka Magica | Homura Akemi | 2011 | |
| Majikoi - Oh! Samurai Girls! | 2011 | ||
| Gyo | JGSDF soldiers | 2012 | |
| Eureka Seven: AO | 2012 | ||
| Upotte!! | Type 89-F | 2012 | |
| Stella Women's Academy, High School Division Class C³ | Yachiyo Hinata | Airsoft, Type 89-F | 2013 |
| Coppelion | 1st Division Soldiers | 2013 | |
| Black Bullet | JGSDF soldiers | 2014 | |
| Survival Game Club! | JGSDF soldiers | 2014 | |
| Tokyo ESP | JGSDF soldiers | 2014 | |
| Gate: Thus the JSDF Fought There | JGSDF soldiers | 2015 | |
| Bungo Stray Dogs | Ep. 03, Ep. 11 | 2016 | |
| Active Raid: Special Public Security Fifth Division Third Mobile Assault Eighth Unit | Yakuza Wakashu | 2016 | |
| Case Closed - Season 27 | JASDF airmen | "Conan and Heiji's Nue Legend (Resolution Chapter)" | 2017-2018 |
| Steins;Gate 0 | JGSDF soldiers | 2018 | |
| Magical Girl Spec-Ops Asuka | JGSDF soldiers | 2019 |
Animation
| Title | Characters | Notation | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hit-Monkey | JGSDF soldiers, Bryce Fowler and Monkey | 2021 |
See Also
- Howa - A list of all firearms manufactured by Howa.