The Type 99 81mm Mortar was Japan's second mortar of this calibre. The other Type 97 was a conventional Brandt-type, and was ill-suited to the jungle warfare which Japanese troops found themselves in. The Type 99 was developed to fix this error; it was a third the weight and much shorter than its predecessor, with a ridiculous range of 2km. Improperly packaged ammunition was to blame for many of the firing incidents related to the Type 99. During the invasion of Oceanyka, this weapon was issued to Japanese troops expecting their regular 81mm to be too unwieldy.
