[4] Combat experience in the Russo-Japanese War of 1904–1905 had convinced the Japanese of the utility of machine guns in providing covering fire for advancing infantry.

[5] This was reinforced by first-hand observations of European combat tactics by Japanese military attachés during the First World War, and the Army Technical Bureau was tasked with the development of a lightweight machine gun which could be easily transported by an infantry squad.

[7] A feature of the Type 11 machine gun is its detachable hopper; it can be refilled while attached and does not require removal during operation.

[9][10] The inherent disadvantage of the hopper was that the open feeder box allowed dust and grit to enter the gun, which was liable to jam in muddy or dirty conditions due to issues with poor dimensional tolerances,[8] which gave the weapon a bad reputation with Japanese troops.

Reloading the weapon during an assault charge proved impossible due to the clip feeding system.

[13] Additionally, the machine gun was equipped with two brackets (on the right side) for mounting a 1.5x30 scope manufactured by Tomioka Kogaku.

It used a different flexible mounting, had a shorter wooden stock and a straight pistol grip with an enlarged trigger guard, the barrel had no cooling fins.

It was the primary Japanese light machine gun through the Manchurian Incident and in the early stages of the Second Sino-Japanese War.

Although superseded by the Type 96 light machine gun in production in 1936, it remained in service with front-line combat through the end of World War II.