Howa Type 89

     Notes: The Type 89 is the standard rifle of the Japanese Self-Defense Force.  It is essentially a highly-modified AR-18; the Japanese had a license to manufacture the AR-18 for a short time in the late 1960s, but their Constitution at the time made it illegal to sell military-type weapons to the belligerents of any conflict, and the US was involved in the Vietnam War at the time, as well as many Pacific Rim nations.  They did not waste their experience with the AR-18, however.  Many parts of the design of the AR-18 were incorporated into the Type 89.  As befits the Japanese Constitution, the Type 89 has never been exported.

     The Type 89 is gas-operated, employing the core of the AR-18 operating system.  The receiver is of stamped steel, as are some of the operating parts.  An unusual feature of the operating system (for a rifle) is that it uses a telescoping bolt, which allows a long gas expansion path that prolongs the life of its moving parts, but still making the Type 89 fairly compact.  Furniture is largely polymer, but the folding stock is of plastic-coated steel and folds to the right side.  The Type 89 has a detachable folding bipod.  Sights are the basic flip-type aperture sights in the rear, adjustable for windage and elevation; the front sight is a simple hooded post.  The Type 89 is capable of firing NATO-type rifle grenades, and the 16.54-inch barrel is fitted with a flash suppressor/muzzle brake.  The trigger mechanism is unusual; the burst mechanism is separate from the rest of the selective fire mechanism, and if the burst mechanism fails, the Type 89 can still be fired automatically or semiautomatically.  (The selector switch is still a single four-position switch.)  The burst mechanism can also be easily removed. 

     Twilight 2000 Notes: These weapons were sold to the Philippines after the Twilight War (starting in 2003), but was otherwise a Japan-only weapon.