@captainjack:
What are some of your typical J1 buys and combat moves? It seems like everything I try with Japan (on land) doesn’t go very well for me. When I go after China I win, but then I don’t have hardly any troops (if any) left in Manch, Kwang, or FIC (except for the 2 units I transport into Manch during non-combat), and then I usually get countered in China by Russia and lose (my bad luck I think), and India has an open door in FIC!!! By the way, lately I’ve been buying 2 trn, and ground units for J1. Thanks!
J1 buy 3 transports 1 tank. If they go KJF, I use transports to transport ground into Asia early, then for naval fodder; if they go KGF, I transport units from Japan and the ISLANDS into Asia. ISLANDS have a lot of infantry that’s otherwise useless; use them.
J2, probably (but not definitely) another 2 transports if they went KGF, plus assorted infantry. Use transport 1-2 to grab infantry from the southern Pacific islands and play for Australia &c &c with light fighter and battleship support, and use transports 3-4 and 5-6 (just produced) on J3 to set up a Japan/Burytia - Japan/French Indochina unload (two transports unload to Burytia from Japan, two unload to French Indochina from Japan, then next turn the Burytia transports go to French Indochina picking up Japan infantry first and the French Indochina goes to Burytia picking up Japan infantry an dropping to Burytia.)
J2 if they went KJF, switch to infantry and fighter production (fighters can be used against ground early then switch to naval targets) while using the 4th and possibly 3rd transports to grab infantry from the islands (if you don’t grab them NOW, US just whacks 'em for island bases)
Later in the game against KGF, you build 1 IC in French Indochina or India if you can swing it, but I don’t like blowing IPCs on ICs, so I usually try to ramp up tank production instead of saving for a second IC. (But if Japan can’t grab Caucasus, and if Japan’s income is nuts, then a second IC it is).
Later in the game against KJF, you build some subs for additional fodder.