Type 94 Nambu pistol

The Type 94 Nambu 8 mm pistol (Type 94 handgun, in Kyūyon-Shiki Kenjū) is a semiautomatic pistol developed by Kijirō Nambu and his associates for the Imperial Japanese Army. Development of the Type 94 pistol began in 1929, and after several redesigns the final prototype was tested and officially adopted by the Japanese army in late 1934 (Japanese calendar, 2594). The Type 94 pistol entered production in 1935. Approximately 71,000 pistols were manufactured before production ended in 1945. The Type 94 pistol was designed for (and popular among) Japanese tank and aircraft crews who preferred a smaller, lightweight design. Japanese weapons experts have subsequently criticized some design elements of the Type 94; in particular the pistol can be fired unintentionally before the breech was fully locked if the sear bar on the side of the receiver is depressed while the pistol's safety is disengaged. Additionally, the process to disassemble the pistol is overly complex and awkward. The build quality of the Type 94 pistol declined over its production run; "last ditch" pistols made in 1945 were crudely manufactured. The Type 94 Nambu pistol was designed by Kijiro Nambu after he retired from the Japanese army and founded the Nambu Rifle Manufacturing Company. Design of the Type 94 Nambu pistol commenced in 1929 with the goal of reducing the bulk and price of previous Nambu designs. The Imperial Japanese Army felt a smaller pistol of domestic design that could accommodate the standard 8×22mm Nambu cartridge was needed to substitute the larger, heavier, and only official military pistol, the Nambu pistol (Type 14). The demand for officer's handguns had increased as a result of Japan's invasion of Manchuria during the Second Sino-Japanese War. A new design was also wanted by the Japanese Army to include a magazine safety, to prevent unintentional discharges during cleaning that were common among Japanese personnel.