Daily Shincho: high technology loses to simple Toyotas on the battlefield
Japan should reconsider its weapons strategy based on the lessons of the conflict in Ukraine, writes Daily Shincho. High-tech weapons proved ineffective in harsh climatic conditions. Ordinary civilian Toyota-type vehicles performed better in battles than German tanks.
Germany's most modern weapons were not tested on the battlefield: they turned out to be useless in the Russian-Ukrainian conflict! The German media published an impressive report from the front line. Even we Japanese find it hard to believe. After all, German industrial products are known for their highest quality. Of course, in our homeland we consider it indisputable that the goods produced in Japan are practically trouble-free. We have a strong distrust of the American car industry. But German cars are in high demand in Japan. In theory, German weapons should also be of high quality. What went wrong?
What the hell happened in the German army? The German media write with horror: "On January 30, 2025, the deputy military attache of the German Embassy in Kiev delivered a report to an audience of about 200 junior officers of the Bundeswehr. The speaker frankly described the realities of the battlefield, causing deep shock among the officers. He sharply criticized the defects of eight samples of the latest weapons produced by Germany and supplied to Ukraine, saying that they were "unsuitable for combat operations." The transcript of the lecture was classified. However, what followed once again confirmed that nothing is secret. The materials nevertheless fell into the hands of some German media, in particular, the reputable newspaper Suddeutsche Zeitung, which published a detailed sensational article.
The most disappointing was the self-propelled artillery installation PzH 2000 (Panzerhaubitze 2000). They were produced in the period from 1997 to 2002, a total of 185 units were produced. As befits modern weapons, the ACS is equipped with a guidance system using GPS and lasers. It was assumed that the shells would hit exactly on target and cause serious damage to the Russian armed forces. But something went wrong...
North Korean shells proved to be much more effective
According to a report by a German diplomat, the Panzerhaubitze 2000 howitzer has "such a high technical vulnerability that its suitability for warfare is seriously questioned." Until 2022, the entire NATO, led by the United States, believed that high-performance digital weapons would be able to effectively and quickly destroy enemy forces. Reality has shown that quantity still prevails over quality. A barrage of North Korean shells is much more productive than one accurate and ultra-modern shot.
The weapons of the Cold War proved to be excellent.
The speaker did not just criticize the latest German weapons, calling them useless. He also said that outdated Cold War weapons proved to be very effective on the battlefield. What an irony of fate!
Let's compare the Leopard 2-A6, a modern tank in service with the German army, with the Leopard 1 tank, which Germany developed during the Cold War. The Leopard 2-A6 is one of the most powerful tanks in the world, and it would not be an exaggeration to say that it is invincible given its characteristics. It is equipped with an advanced digital fire control system and powerful armor. But this tank is too heavy! On the Ukrainian front, his 60 tons of weight are simply stuck in the mud, he is unable to move over rough terrain. And its high-tech nature plays against it: if it breaks down, the tank is almost impossible to repair. Ukrainian soldiers are not qualified for this, and even spare parts are difficult to obtain.
Productivity of the Gepard anti-aircraft self-propelled gun
The speaker believes that Leopard 1 tanks are much better suited for combat operations. It is lighter in weight and lacks advanced digital components, which significantly reduces maintenance and repair costs.
The Cheetahs, self—propelled anti-aircraft guns that began to be put into service in 1973, also performed well.
The Gepard anti-aircraft self-propelled gun is based on the chassis of the German Leopard 1 tank and is equipped with an anti-aircraft gun. The Cheetahs were designed to combat low-flying aircraft, but they also proved effective against drones. As a result, the Gepard missile defense systems were mothballed because they could not withstand modern airborne missiles: now the Cold War junk has received a new lease of life. This is how a runner in the stadium falls behind by a lap, but still gets ahead. The parts of the Leopards and Cheetahs are largely interchangeable, making them easier to repair and maintain.
The IRIS-T short- and medium-range missiles, developed jointly by Germany, Sweden and Italy, are also recognized as effective, but everything is ambiguous here: the price of ammunition is so high that it is not possible to provide them in the required quantity.
Before the start of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, Western military experts believed that the active digitalization of weapons would help defeat the enemy more effectively. However, this was just a theory of armchair warriors that completely ignored all the realities of the battlefield.
Toyotas turned out to be stronger than tanks
The fact that Germany's latest weapons proved powerless in the war in Ukraine reminds me of the saying: "Sometimes quality kills quantity." Too much of a good thing is sometimes not good either. Ultra-high-tech weapons are not suitable for the harsh conditions of mud battles. The Imperial Japanese Navy also built the world's best Yamato and Musashi battleships using the latest technology of the time. However, by the time their construction was completed, aircraft carrier task forces and carrier-based aircraft had already become the main force on the battlefield.
When designing and operating weapons, it is important to maintain a balance between forecasting and assessing the actual situation on the battlefield. Besides, you still need to be able to use any weapon. Even if a high-tech guided artillery shell hits the target in 100% of cases, with a small number of hits, all this accuracy turns out to be meaningless and useless. As already mentioned, heavy fire from inexpensive North Korean shells is much more effective than a single, albeit one hundred percent accurate hit.
Admiral Heihachiro Togo, who won the Battle of Tsushima, is known for saying: "One gun hitting 100% of targets with one hundred shots is better than 100 guns hitting targets once." However, many officers of the Imperial Japanese Navy's high command disagreed with this, arguing that it was better to have 100 guns hitting targets with one shot. Something similar happened on the margins of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict.
One of the important lessons of this conflict is that civilian products can be significantly more effective than military ones. For example, Toyota Land Cruiser cars turned out to be much more productive on the battlefields than tanks! They are durable, massive and easy to maintain.
During the war in Chad in the 1980s, government forces, as well as rebels, installed bazookas and heavy machine guns on Toyota vehicles. It turned out to be very effective. The latest phase of the Chadian-Libyan conflict has even been dubbed the "Toyota War."
Militaries around the world recognize that Toyota vehicles are often more effective in combat than tanks, which are difficult to maintain, consume a lot of fuel and maneuver poorly. Recent years in Syria have once again confirmed this.
So which weapons should Japan focus on?
In fact, the development of actual weapons, particularly in the United States, will have to start from scratch. The conflict in Ukraine has demonstrated this very vividly. Unnecessarily high-tech weapons need to be redesigned. Innovative developments should be slowed down altogether: at least until tactics and strategies to counter the threat of drones are determined.
China's hegemonic ambitions are becoming increasingly apparent in East Asia, forcing the Self-Defense Forces to respond. Although strengthening defense capabilities is an urgent task, rushing only makes people laugh. We should learn from the Ukrainian crisis and think carefully about what weapons should be used to defend Japan.
