Are you doing late DoWs with Japan? It seems counter-intuitive but a Japan that attacks round 1 is better off than one that waits until round 4. Also, be careful about squandering your air force by sending too much of it into the Asian heartland chasing after Chinese or Russians. It does better on the coast so that it can support the navy and crush any Allied fleets that show up in the DEI.
I have tried multiple things on different turns and keep improving slightly each time. Did J1 two games in a row and just kept running out of ground forces in order to protect the islands and the two mic’s i built in malaya and FIC. Didn’t help that the epic fail I posted earlier in the thread happened with a J1 so I had to be extra aggressive in order to make up for Germany’s lack of presence.
This last game though where the G1 worked out perfectly I fully intended on a J2. Once it came time for it though Germany looked so good that I had to give it one more turn. I positioned myself to take at least one island, malaya, kwangtung, and shan state. The allies ended up attacking to try and hold the burma road figuring it only holds US out one more turn of positioning and no turns of money. I proceeded to take the territories I mentioned plus beorno on J3, and on J4 was able to take the rest of the islands. US moved to the Carolines on US 4 ( I managed to hold so anzac had to come finish the job) but my entire navy was able to get back to the Phillippines with left over ground units on the accessible islands (Java, Celebs). With america only able to spend 52 each turn and only able to place 3 units on the pacific side, his navy had no chance against mine.
We are on turn 8 now. Germany should make 96 IPC. Japan has lost one island (sumatra) but I am able to slip out to Hawaii and snag that bonus. US has built straight pacific navy since turn 4 so my navy can’t compete with him. The problem for him is that he is in sz 7 so he can’t even get to my navy in sz 26. He has another build in sz 10 but I will crush them if he tries. That makes Japan making 62 IPC after J8. He is two turns away from catching my navy and by then Germany will own the rest of the world I am sure:)
Sorry for the Novel. Just really stoked to finally win with the axis.