I just found a Twitter user who shares a lot about prewar Japanese hunting weapon, and according to a hunting catalog from 1933, this gun was imported.
The catalog says that it’s a Astra 900, actually it’s a Astra 902, because it has automatic fire capabilities, a 20 rounds non-detachable magazine, and a lengthened barrel(180mm).
I think Japan could just be given the C96 Mod.712, similar to how both the Germans and the Japanese have the FN Modele D machine gun. The C96 pistols were captured in huge numbers and semi-officially adopted into service under the designation “Type Mo”.
Though here is an interesting thing: before the war, but due to the sanctions, Spanish companies were selling their pistols to China through Japanese firms. For this reason, some M900s are engraved with “Made in Japan”.
I did some digging about a year ago on the Astral model pistols and the Royal MM 31s that were sold to China via Japan as a distributor and come across some documentation pertaining to them and the bibliographic works those documents were derived from.
Astra Automatic Pistols", Leonardo M. Antaris, Sterling, Colorado USA, 1990
“The Spanish ‘Mauser Type’ Pistols”, Artemio Mortera Pérez, Valladolid, 1998
“1840-1940, One Hundred Years of Spanish Pistols and Revolvers”, Juan L. Calvó and Eduardo Jiménez Sánchez-Malo, Pontevedra 1993
“The National Arms Industry, 1830-1940 - Factories, Privileges, Patents and Trademarks”, Juan L. Calvó, Eibar, 1997
I’m considering remaking an old post of mine after additional supplemental information from Sayama Jiro and some of my other books.
Having this as a event weapon and others like the C96 (since it was so heavily used by a lot of factions, japan included thanks to the Chinese). Japan lacks pistols, it would be nice to get some others to use that’s not 3 horrible side arms and the type 14 or the sword pistol.
Id honestly rather them get more pistols in the TT but this seems like as close as we can get to that.
