With the need of a heavy fire support weapon in Japan Self-Defense Forces (JSDF) service aside from the use of the Sumitomo Type 62 GPMG and the Sumitomo M2HB machine gun, Howa first created and produced the weapon in 1996.

[4] The Howa Type 96 can be used by both infantry and armored vehicles, the former with a tripod and the latter by being placed on a weapon mount.

[4][5] On the left side of the Type 96 is a feeding bay where the 40 mm grenades belt can be loaded onto the AGL.

It is not interchangeable with the 40x53 mm Mk 19 grenade launcher equipped by the AAV7 amphibious vehicle operated by the Japan Ground Self-Defence Force.

[7][8] A variant with an additional sight was introduced in the 2011 Fuji General Firepower Exercise [ja].