Type 89s are still being issued and used by what would be frontline combat units of the JGSDF.
In fact, here is a JGSDF soldier from just January of this year, 2024, in a joint Japanese-U.S. exercise with the USAF 36th Airlift Squadron.
The guy pictured here is part of the JGSDF 1st Airborne Brigade (the Narashino Airborne Brigade) which are one of Japan's premiere infantry combat brigades. Like, if anything happened that required combat mustering in Japan, these would be the first guys going in and they are a well-trained and prestigious unit.
From what I understand, they're like the equivalent of the 101st Airborne or 82nd Airborne stateside. And they're using issued Type 89s.
Some special forces units (like the Special Forces Group that is based alongside 1st Airborne, but is a different unit) or the Rangers get to play with extra special stuff or new things like the Type 20 or M4s, but they also have a specialized mission set.
Keep in mind, it took decades for the Type 89 to replace the Type 64. And that's despite the Type 64 being... well... lackluster to be frank. And the Type 89 is a perfectly serviceable rifle. Lack of rails and accessories and optic mounting for the most part, but it beats the hell out of the Type 64 (which couldn't even reliably cycle NATO-standard 7.62x51 from what I've read).
