Howa Type 89

Howa Type 89 with integral bipod - 5.56x45mm. Currently in use by the Modern Japanese military.

Howa Type 89-F assault rifle with folding stock for Paratroopers and 20-round magazine - 5.56x45mm. Currently in use by the Modern Japanese military.

Howa Type 89 with scope rail on receiver, Aimpoint CompM2 red dot, and left side fire selector. This configuration is used by Japanese special forces operators when deployed in places where they face the risk of potential combat.

File:Howa Type 89 folding stock with rail.jpg

Howa Type 89-F with scope rail on receiver and Aimpoint CompM2 red dot. This configuration is used by Japanese special forces operators when deployed in places where they face the risk of potential combat.

When the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (JGSDF) was looking for a new assault rifle to replace the aging Howa Type 64 (7.62x51mm), Howa Machinery Co., of Japan designed and developed the Type 89 Assault rifle, chambered for the 5.56x45mm NATO round. It was much lighter than the Type 64 and was 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 (USA). It replaced the Howa Type 64 as the main battle rifle for the JGSDF in 1989, even though the Type 64 is still used in secondary units and Coast Guard units.

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

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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
Godzilla vs. Megaguirus		G-Graspers headquarters guards		2000
Stacy: Attack of the Schoolgirl Zombies		Policemen	Howa Type 89-F	2001
Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S.		JGSDF personnel		2003
Samurai Commando: Mission 1549		JGSDF		2005
		Samurai
	Kyôka Suzuki	Rei Kanzaki
	Yôsuke Eguchi	Yusuke Kashima
	Daisuke Shima	Mikuni
	Kôji Matoba	Yoda
D-Day (Den'D)		Enemy soldier	Airsoft	2008
Library Wars		Kanto Library Defense Force soldiers		2013
	Nana Eikura	Iku Kasahara
	Junichi Okada	Atsushi Dojo
Godzilla		Monarch security	Airsoft	2014

Television

Title	Actor	Character	Note	Date
Black and White		Lao Tou's guard		2009

Video games

Game Title	Appears as	Mods	Notation	Release Date
Soldier Front				2004
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
Joukyou Kaishi!	Type 89			2005
Alliance of Valiant Arms	Type89		Available to Japanese players only	2007
Cross Fire	Type89			2007
Combat Arms				2008
Yakuza: Dead Souls			Used by JSDF soldiers	2011
The Passion Leads Army (aka Glorious Missions)		Type 89 Scope and Weapon Lights(Veteran JSDF Soldier Only)	Non-player weapon, used by JSDF soldiers and Terrorists	2012
S.K.I.L.L - Special Force 2				2013

Anime

Title	Character	Note	Date
Patlabor: The Movie	JGSDF soldiers		1989
Patlabor: The Movie 2	JGSDF soldiers		1993
Memories ("Stink Bomb")	JGSDF soldiers		1995
WXIII: Patlabor the Movie 3			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!: The Second Raid	JGSDF soldiers		2005
Karas	JSDF soldiers		2005-2007
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
Eureka Seven: AO			2012
Upotte!!		Type 89-F, seen on gun store wall	2012
Stella Women's Academy, High School Division Class C³	Yachiyo Hinata	Airsoft, Type 89-F	2013
Coppelion	1st Division Soldiers		2013
Puella Magi Madoka Magica the Movie: Rebellion	Homura Akemi		2013
Black Bullet	JSDF member		2014
Survival Game Club!	JGSDF members		2014
Tokyo ESP	JGSDF members		2014
Gate: Thus the JSDF Fought There	JGSDF		2015

See Also

• Howa - A list of all firearms manufactured by Howa.