Type 38 rifle The was a bolt - action rifle that was the standard infantry rifle of the Imperial Japanese Army from 1905 ( the 38th year of the Meiji period , hence " Type 38 " ) to the end of World War II . History and development . The Imperial Japanese Army introduced the Type 30 rifle in 1897 . However , the weapon had numerous shortcomings , which were highlighted by combat experience in the early stages of the Russo - Japanese War . These included bursting cartridges , a poorly - designed lock in which excess gunpowder tended to accumulate , burning the face of the shooter , frequent misfires , jamming , difficulty in cleaning , and cartridge extraction . Lieutenant General Arisaka Nariakira along with Kijiro Nambu undertook a redesign , which was introduced in 1906 . The weapon was produced in several locations : By 1940 more than three million Type 38s had been issued to the Imperial Japanese Army . However , shortcomings in the Type 38 design during the Second Sino - Japanese War led to the introduction of a further generation of rifles , designated the Type 99 rifle from 1939 . This new rifle used the more powerful 7 . 7×58mm Arisaka cartridge already in use with the Type 92 heavy machine gun and the Type 97 light machine gun . However , not all units received the new weapon , and the mixture of types with incompatible cartridges led to considerable logistics issues during World War II . Description and variant types . The Type 38 rifle used the 6 . 5×50mm Arisaka cartridge . This cartridge produces little recoil when fired . However , while on par with the Norwegian and Italian 6 . 5mm military cartridges of the time , the 6 . 5×50mm was not as powerful as several others in use by other nations . The Type 38 at was the longest rifle of the war , due to the emphasis on bayonet training for the Japanese soldier of the era , whose average height was . The rifle was even longer when the Type 30 bayonet was fixed . The Type 38 was fairly heavy , at about 4 . 25 kg . Post - war inspection of the Type 38 by the U . S . military and the National Rifle Association found that the Type 38 ' s receiver was the strongest bolt action of any nation and capable of handling more powerful cartridges . Type 38 carbine . Intended for use by cavalry , engineer s , quartermaster s and other non - frontline troops , the Type 38 carbine was introduced into service at the same time as the standard Type 38 . Its barrel was , overall length , and weight . The rifle lacked a bayonet . It was produced in a number of locations : Type 44 carbine . Similar to the Type 38 Carbine , but with a backwards - folding bayonet , introduced in 1911 . Type 97 Sniper Rifle . As with the standard Type 38 , but with a rifle scope with 2 . 5x magnification , introduced in 1937 . Some 14 , 000 were produced . Type I Rifle . The Japanese Imperial Navy purchased a number of rifles from Italy at the beginning of World War II for use by special forces and paratroops . The Italian - built rifles were chambered for the same 6 . 5×50mm cartridge as the Type 38 rifle , but had a folding stock . The Type I Rifle was similar in appearance and length to the Type 38 rifle , but was based on the Italian Carcano action . Users . During World War I , Japan sold 640 , 000 units to the Allied nations , starting with a purchase of 150 , 000 units by France .