As tensions between Japan and China grew during the 1930s, the Imperial government redirected the focus of its consumer-facing industries to support the Imperial Army and Navy. Throughout the Second Sino-Japanese War and the Pacific Theater of World War II, cars and military-grade trucks were mass-produced primarily for military use. In the wake of Japan’s defeat, the Allied Powers at General Headquarters (GHQ) prohibited manufacturing passenger vehicles, and though the ban wasn’t lifted until 1949, Japan wasted no time
…
Read more