The Type 97 tank machinegun is a Japanese machinegun which was historically used in tanks and armoured vehicles of the Imperial Japanese Army during World War II, and sometimes as a heavy machinegun by infantry forces. It was developed in 1937 based on the design of the Czech ZB vz. 26 light machine gun, which was captured from China's National Revolutionary Army, rechambered to fire the same 7.7mm Arisaka cartridges as the Arisaka Type 99 Rifle from a straight, vertical, 20-round box magazine with a rate of fire of 500 rounds per minute. The Type 97 was normally equipped with a fixed focus 1.5x telescopic sight with a rubber eye pad when mounted in a tank, and a bipod when used as an infantry weapon. It was used on almost all Japanese tanks and other armoured vehicles until the end of the war.
