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Army comparison: Flag of Japan Japan vs Flag of North Korea North Korea

Japan operates 4,516 active military vehicles vs 6,537 for North Korea.

ARMS (Armour and Manpower Rating of Strength) Index face-off Full ranking →
Flag of Japan JapanWorld #24 30.2
ARMS Index / 100

North Korea leads overall, ahead on 1 of 8 categories

Flag of North Korea North KoreaWorld #10 37.0
  • 479 Main battle tanksweight ×10 · era 4,235
  • 99 Rocket artilleryweight ×8 · era 0
  • 193 Self-propelled artilleryweight ×6 · era 0
  • 181 Infantry fighting vehiclesweight ×4 · era 32
  • 480 Towed artilleryweight ×3 · era 0
  • 1,003 Armoured personnel carriersweight ×2 · era 1,710
  • 255 Light armoured vehiclesweight ×2 · era 560
  • 1,826 Protected mobility vehiclesweight ×0.5 · era 0
Japan North Korea Bars: weighted contribution to the ARMS Index (vehicles × category weight × era, active + 0.3 × stored; manpower and the rotary, armament and availability multipliers apply on top) · figures: active vehicles at each side's latest inventory year · Methodology
Key figures as of 2026
Japan North Korea Ratio
Total vehicles 4,516 6,537 🇰🇵 1.4×
On order 148 0 🇯🇵
Main battle tanks 479 4,235 🇰🇵 8.8×
Artillery pieces 772 0 🇯🇵
Armoured fighting vehicles 3,265 2,302 🇯🇵 1.4×
Active military personnel (all branches) 247,000 1,280,000 🇰🇵 5.2×
Reserve military personnel (all branches) 55,900 600,000 🇰🇵 11×
Show full breakdown · 5 more rowsHide the 5 extra rows
Infantry fighting vehicles 181 32 🇯🇵 5.7×
Armoured personnel carriers 1,003 1,710 🇰🇵 1.7×
Self-propelled artillery 193 0 🇯🇵
Towed artillery 480 0 🇯🇵
Rocket artillery 99 0 🇯🇵
Backbone vehicles most numerous in service
🇯🇵 JapanMitsubishi Type 90 ×340AAV-7A1 ×52M270 MLRS ×99
🇰🇵 North KoreaT-62 / TR-580 / Tiran ×2,200BTR-80 ×32BTR-60 ×1,200
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Frequently Asked Questions

Which country has more armored vehicles, Japan or North Korea?
North Korea has a larger ground force with 6,537 vehicles compared to Japan's 4,516 vehicles.
Which country has more tanks, Japan or North Korea?
North Korea operates more main battle tanks with 4,235 compared to Japan's 479.
Which army has more infantry fighting vehicles, Japan or North Korea?
Japan has 181 infantry fighting vehicles compared to North Korea's 32.
Which country has more armored personnel carriers, Japan or North Korea?
North Korea operates 1,710 APCs compared to Japan's 1,003.
Which country has more artillery systems, Japan or North Korea?
Japan fields 772 artillery systems (self-propelled, towed, and MLRS) compared to North Korea's 0.