Tomohiro Ohsumi/Getty Images Japan built a large and capable armored force to counter the Soviets during the Cold War. But a rising China poses a new challenge, and Japan is changing how it designs and uses its armor. Despite a few successes early in World War II, Japanese armor was hopelessly outclassed by Allied tanks as soon as they arrived in large numbers. Those experiences and the threat of a Soviet invasion led the Japanese to put much more effort into post-war tank designs. By the 1990s, Japan had a large and capable armored force. But the Japan Self Defense Force (JSDF) has had to recalibrate in recent decades.