NINJA TURTLE DEFENSE
What is it?
Sometimes Japan just needs to dig in and defend itself, without worrying about grand strategic objectives on other parts of the map. This opening will show you how.
What should you build?
2-3 transports, 6-8 fighters, 2-3 destroyers, and lots of infantry. Hold off on building carriers until you really need them – they’re not useful for attacking mainland Asia, and they’re vulnerable to large wolf packs of submarines if the US sees you building them far enough in advance to build the wolf pack. You can plop down an (extra) pair of carriers in sea zone 62 immediately before the US attacks and land fighters from Tokyo directly on the newly-built carriers, blocking off most of the decent US attack routes. Avoid building any factories, because factories create a second choke point that you have to defend (other than Tokyo) from an American invasion.
How should you attack?
As with the Polar Express opening, you want to make smart, opportunistic trades in East Asia. Gaining income from extra territories is nice, but only if it’s going to pay off quickly enough to help you hold Tokyo – there’s no sense in losing 10 IPCs’ worth of units to gain a 1 IPC-territory when the big battle for Tokyo will be on turn 6 or 7. Also, you’re not trying to conquer any territory in particular, but you do want to wipe out Allied forces in the region at minimal cost to yourself. If you can keep the British cooped up in India and force the Americans to rely exclusively on what they can bring in by transport, then you’ll have an easier time defending.
When should you use this opening?
Don’t be too easily intimidated – if America plonks down one extra carrier in the Pacific, that by itself doesn’t mean that they’re going to be able to shut you down or even that they’re necessarily going to try to kill you – it could be a bluff, or a mistake, or some odd tactic that’s not immediately apparent. If America attacks Japan on its own, without any support from Britain or Russia, you should be able to sink the American fleet at a profit, even without any special defensive tactics. On the other hand, if you see that Britain is shifting Egyptian troops over to India, and Russia is shifting troops from Moscow / Caucasus into China, and America is moving ships out of the Atlantic and into the Pacific, then you have a problem, and you need to stop thinking about how to conquer Asia and start thinking about how to stay alive as long as possible. If the Allies have a bid, consider using this opening when you see a British sub in the Indian Ocean, a bid of more than one infantry in China, infantry in Hawaii, and/or an extra ship or extra fighter off the coast of Hawaii.
Why does it work?
If all three Allies (or Britain and America with token help from Russia) are focused on attacking Japan, then all you have to do is survive and avoid gifting the Allies a mainland factory, and Germany should be able to beat up Russia and run away with the game.
What kind of middlegame can you expect?
Japan is going to be small and under siege, with probably only a couple of territories under control beyond Tokyo itself, and a large stack of infantry and fighters defending Tokyo. Germany should be enormous, occupying both Africa and Siberia and starting to put pressure on India. Your goal as Japan is to continue to stay alive as long as possible, re-taking some of your territories or sinking some Allied transports when you see a good opportunity to do so without losing your capital.
CONCLUSION
So, that’s five Japanese openings! Did I forget your favorite opening? Can you think of a way to execute one of these five openings more effectively, or a reason why one of these openings is doomed to failure? Let me know in the comments!