• I will be playing my first game as Japan soon and wanted to run my strategy by some people who have more experience.  Here is the general outline of what i am going to do, numbered in order of importance.
    1. Pressure the USA fleet and try and keep them on their side of the Pacific.  I plan on buying at least one carrier a turn and loading them up with my many planes.
    2. Grab the rich islands in the Dutch East Indies, and the Japanese national objective.
    3. Keep ANZAC and India’s IPCs down by taking Malaya and New Guinea.
    4. Go light into China.  Just enough to protect the high IPC zones i start with and keep China in check.
    5. After i have achieved the 4 previous goals i want to start invading Australia.  My 6 planned VCs are: Manila, Tokyo, Hong Kong, Pearl Harbor, Sydney, and Shanghai.

    My German partner is planning 3rd turn sealion.  I am hoping this draws America’s attention to the Atlantic more than he should and that i may be able to claim an early victory in the Pac.  Any advise on what i am planning here?  Has anyone tried something similar and if so, what problems did you face?  Thanks in advance.


  • Are you playing the new Alpha 3.9 rules or OOB?


  • Well if your not going to attack India, it means you have a lot more freedom economically. Your correct about invading Australia first, its harder for the US to liberate. First turn buys I would advise 3 transports and save the 5 IPCs left over. Pickup infantry from Korea when loading your transports because you wont need them if your not focusing on a Continental campaign. Overall your strategy seems fairly sound. I would just make sure that you position your navy for an attack on J4, giving your ally enough time to secure London. You you really don’t need to start a war early, because if you position your many transports around the DEIs and near Australia, you should be able to seize everything in 1 turn.


  • Make sure to keep enough pressure on China to keep it back. Most importantly, hold Yunnan. China seems weak but it can become quite pesky if not subdued. Also, two of your victory cities are in China.


  • @Little_Boot:

    Make sure to keep enough pressure on China to keep it back. Most importantly, hold Yunnan. China seems weak but it can become quite pesky if not subdued. Also, two of your victory cities are in China.

    If crushing India via naval power and transporters, it’s possible to ignore China pretty much as they can’t move outside their own territories.
    Then you can mob up China afterwards if needed.


  • Target 1: take and hold Yunnan. Land AF there.
    2: India/DEI
    3: ANZAC
    Meanwhile keep the US fleet back, but don’t necessarily destroy them.


  • India should be your target.

    I still don’t see anyone posting a good Japan strategy.  I’ve got one in my bag of tricks, but would hate to spoil everyone’s fun.


  • I don’t see india as to important when I play. Sure, they can build more and move in other places than china, but I just consider them hickup. I usually do what you said Pherman, go south and east. After I get the money islands, I get australia, then Hawaii. If U.S. doesn’t go all out in pacific, I will do fairly well, if they do, Germany does really well.


  • When I play Japan I like to play with the long-term in mind.  That is, I don’t really go for early do-or-die strategies like an India crush.  If I’m given the opportunity, I’ll go for it, but normally I’ll just try to improve Japan’s economy and keep it that way.

    On the turn I attack, I grab the Phillipines and as many of the DEI as possible.  The rest will be gotten on the next turn.  Hong Kong and Malaya are also high-priority objectives.  Unless something has gone wrong, getting these will make Japan’s income in around the low-mid 60s, which is perfect.

    Then I’ll put 1-2 factories in South East Asia, and just trade Burma with India.  With convoying, India can only produce around 1 Infantry a turn, so time is in my favor in that region.  I’ll strat bomb the India IC if I ever get the chance.

    What determines my success at this point is how much US invested and is continuing to invest in the Pacific.  If it’s a majority or all of its resources, I know Japan’s not going to win.  I might attack Russia if I see a KJF strat, in order to help Germany win.  My fleet builds will primarily be defensive - carriers and destroyers - in order to make my fleet survive as long as possible against the growing US fleet.

    If US is only spending some of its income in the Pacific, I’ll be trying to win in the Pacific if possible.  After I’ve got my income, I’ll try to place the majority of my fleet in the Carolines.  There I can threaten Hawaii and Australia.  With luck I’ll try to convoy Australia.  I’ll have taken 1 of those four Australian NO islands, so hopefully Anzac’s making less than 10 a turn.  With a good Carolines-based threat, Anzac will be building defensively - infantry - for the forseeable future.  Thus the majority of my income can go into my trade war against India and for fleet builds to compete with the US fleet.  Until India falls, I’ll go mostly for targets of opportunity at this point.  Hawaii if possible, but that’s tough.  The Pacific Island NO in A3 is impossible, don’t even bother looking at it.  The 5/7 NO in A2 was a lot better frankly.  :-P

    With a long-term strategy like this, Japan’s overall victory threat is maximized.

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