The Type 96 wheeled armored personnel carrier (96式装輪装甲車, kyuu-roku-shiki-sourin-soukou-sha) is an armoured vehicle that entered service with Japan in 1996, manufactured by Komatsu.

[4] This vehicle complements the existing fleet of tracked Type 73 armored personnel carriers already in service with plans to eventually replace it.

[4] When the Type 96 was deployed to Iraq previously, it appeared that the driver's position was fitted with an assembly of three windows to enable the person to drive with his head out of the vehicle for greater situational awareness while still protected from small-arms fire.

The vehicle will equip JGSDF combat and combat-support units for peacekeeping operations as well as “counter island invasion” scenarios.

[14] The Japanese Ministry of Defense announced that further prototype testing would end in 2018, due to concerns of a lack of adequate bulletproofing material that can be used and whether revisions can be made to meet the target production and the costs in time.