Though the previously developed Type 74 tank
was a reliable machine, it proved almost obsolete
from the moment it entered service as the other
nations of the world developed more formidable
tank designs. As a result, the Japanese military
immediately began to develop a new tank. The development
process came to fruition with the introduction
of the Type 90 tank as Japan's new Main Battle
Tank (MBT) in 1990. While the design for its main
120mm cannon came from Germany, Japanese factories
handled the rest of the tank's construction.
It also had materials to provide a measure of
protection against NBC (nuclear, biological, and
chemical weapons) while its targeting system could
engage targets even in very stormy weather.
While comparable in capabilities to other modern
main battle tanks, the Type 90s proved very ineffective
against Godzilla when he suddenly reappeared in
1999 in the city of Tateyama. Fighting alongside
other powerful vehicles in the Self-Defense Force's
arsenal, the Type 90 tanks attempted to drive
Godzilla back but he smashed them aside with his
feet.
Their next combat action against the king of
the monsters would occur three years later as
Godzilla emerged from the sea to do battle once
more as the Japanese military had disturbed the
bones of the original Godzilla when they developed
new weapons to combat the kaiju. At first, they
held their fire as the newly developed cyborg
monster known as either Mechagodzilla or Kiryu
attempted to defeat the monster. When that didn't
work and Godzilla would return then eventually
emerge from the waters of Tokyo Bay once more,
the tanks moved into action as the Japanese Self
Defense Forces made their stand in Tokyo Bay.
They tried to hold the monster at bay but then
had to fall back as the monster continued to close
in towards the shore and eventually Godzilla incinerated
them with his atomic breath. Eventually the SDF
did defeat Godzilla with the repaired Kiryu at
the Tokyo ward of Shingawa although it suffered
grievous damage once more.
It took a year for repairs on the Kiryu to be
finally finished. Shortly after that, Godzilla
returned from the ocean's depts. As Godzilla headed
towards Tokyo, the JSDF sprang into action to
buy time, first with a naval attack followed by
a defense by ground forces on the shore near the
ruins of Shingawa. While the naval forces escaped
retaliation, the ground forces had no such luck
as after a few minutes of battle Godzilla vaporized
the entire defense line with a single blast of
his atomic breath. With their destruction, there
was virtually no resistance as the king of the
monsters pressed on into the Japanese capital
in search for the base of his mechanical double.