The Type 89 evolved from Japan's first domestic tank project initiated by the Imperial Japanese Army's Osaka Technical Arsenal in 1925. The original plan was for two types of tanks to be created. A light tank at 10-ton based on the French Renault FT tank and a 20-ton design modeled after the Vickers Medium tank. By February 1927, the Type 87 Chi-I medium tank was ready for trials. However, it was 20-ton and under-powered. The weight of the initial prototype and its low speed did not impress the Imperial Japanese Army General Staff Office, and a new requirement was issued for a lighter tank, with a nominal weight. The new design was modeled after the Vickers Medium C which had been bought by the Japanese Army in March 1927.