Dowa Automobile Company

mechanization, and the Kwantung Army began to import foreign-built vehicles, including the Model 25 Vickers Crossley Armored Car. After the formation of the Empire of Manchukuo, the Kwantung Army's economic policy of self-sufficiency in major strategic heavy industry spurred the need for locally-built trucks and automobiles. Dōwa began with the assistance of Tōkyō Jidōsha Kogyo (the forerunner of Isuzu) to build vehicles from knock-down kits, as the infrastructure of sub-suppliers was gradually increased to permit more and more local content. Initial production was estimated at 5000 vehicles per year, many of which were copies of the Crossley design.^{[citation needed}