Japan

The Flag of the Empire of Japan

The Flag of the State of Japan, although the Game still uses the Imperial Flag for 1950-1975 conquests

## Historical information

### Formal Name

State of Japan (1952-) (日本国)Empire of Japan (1868-1947) (大日本帝國)

## Game information

### Strength

★★★ 1939-1943
★★ 1950-1960
★ 1975

Japan is a Great Power (later a Regional Power then even later a Minor Power) in The Asia-Pacific. Japan is a principal member of the Axis Powers, the Union and is an associate of NATO.

## Basic Information

The Empire of Japan was determined to bring the entirety of Asia under its rule using its Armed Forces, starting with the Japanese invasion of Korea and Manchuria. In the 1939 conquest, Japan has control over Korea, Manchuria and Taiwan, which made Japan very powerful country. In the 1943 conquest, Japan has conquered British Malaya, French Indochina, the East Indies and the Philippines which boosted the Japanese war effort. The defeat of Nazi Germany left Japan to fend for itself and even with their powerful navy, defending against the United States and its allies proved to be costly both economically and militarily.

After their defeat they lost their military like Germany, however due to tensions brought by the Cold War they were allowed to form the Self-Defense Force and became an affiliate of NATO. During the Alien Invasion they were pushed out of Kyushu, Shikoku and Western Honshu. The recently established Self-Defense Forces then regrouped in Hokkaido and Northern Honshu.

In 1939, the Japanese have a strong navy and very powerful and skilled generals like Germany. Playing as Japan will be challenging because like Germany you are surrounded. Since your navy is strong you can take advantage of the resources near the Chinese coast. The United States will always produce a better navy later in the conquest so be prepared for a possible invasion of mainland Japan. The United States is your biggest threat when playing as Japan in 1939, so don't underestimate them. When playing as Japan in 1939, try going after the supplies in Eastern, Southern, and South East Asia as quickly as possible. China is another threat because their generals are just as good as the British and are no pushovers. Do not underestimate China, India, or Australia in any way or they will rush you, try to take your invasion of Asia in a balanced manner. Going through Mongolia and Northern China is the key to victory in Asia. After you conquer Asia, advance onto Europe to help your German, Italian, Spanish, Finish, and Balkan allies as soon as possible. You should be half way done destroying the United States Navy so try your best and finish them off. Once the US Navy is gone, you can advance through Europe easily and catch the Soviet Union off guard and invade them while they liberate Germany. After you liberate all of Europe you can invade North America and finish the fight.

Japan in 1943 is the key to counterattacking the Soviet Union offensive into Germany. The Chinese, Indians, and the rest of the Allies in Asia are still no push overs so try to build as strong a army as you can and liberate Asia. Liberating Asia will not be that easy because you have the US Navy to deal with. After your challenging conquest in Asia is over, advance into Europe and save the European Axis Powers from the Communist and western forces. The Japanese still have very powerful generals at this point in time so use them to your advantage. You should be done defending against the US Navy, so invading Australia and United States islands is ideal. After you liberate Europe, invade North and South America or help the Axis in Africa if they have not liberated it yet. After you finish the conquest you should get a decent amount of medals.

Japan in the 1950 conquest has access to ballistic technology and is aided by the US Navy. The Chinese are the main threat in the conquest in Asia because they have more missile silos and have more cities that can produce nuclear weaponry. The Soviets and Chinese will be putting heat on South Korea at the start of the conquest so take the time to build an army, aid your NATO allies, and liberate Asia and Europe.

In the 1960 conquest, Japan is in the same position as they were last time. The United States of America have control over most of the Pacific and have the largest navy in the game. Expect much help from the US and other NATO members. The Soviets are no pushovers when you first invade them, they have strong artillery generals in the far east and the Chinese will be merciless if you invade mainland Asia, but that should not stop you from achieving victory. Japan has a strong navy as well and has access to nuclear technology, so taking Asia should be a fun challenge. After you kick WTO out of Asia, liberate the Middle East and the western Soviet Union to save Germany and the western Europeans. After the war is won you will get your reward.

Japan in the 1975 conquest is both surrounded by water and Aliens. Japan in this era is challenging just like every other nation you play in 1975 but it is fun and all you need is an advanced army to fight the Aliens off the planet.

## Commanders

### Recruitable Commanders

The majority of Japanese commanders can be recruited from the Japanese Military Academy.

In addition, a generic Commander comes from Japan, and Mikawa can be purchased during limited rotations.

### 1939 Conquest

Normal:

* Yamashita
* Yamamoto
* Nagano
* Kuribayashi
* Itagaki
* Okamura
* Nagumo
* Hata
* Ozawa
* Umezu
* Koiso
* Yamaguchi
* Inoue

Challenge:

* Yamashita
* Yamamoto
* Nagano
* Kuribayashi
* Itagaki
* Okamura
* Nagumo
* Hata
* Ozawa
* Umezu
* Koiso
* Yamaguchi
* Inoue

### 1943 Conquest

Normal:

* Yamashita
* Itagaki
* Koiso
* Kuribayashi
* Terauchi
* Ozawa
* Ushijima
* Hata
* Koga

Challenge:

* Yamashita
* Itagaki
* Koiso
* Kuribayashi
* Terauchi
* Ozawa
* Ushijima
* Hata
* Koga
* Mikawa
* Yamamoto

### 1950 Conquest

Normal:

* Okamura
* Ushijima
* Toyoda
* Inoue

Challenge:

* Okamura
* Toyoda
* Inoue

### 1960 Conquest

* Okamura
* Hata

## Territory

The territory of the Empire of Japan (later: Japan) changed 4 times during the 5 conquests.

* Japanese Home Isles (Honshu, Hokkaido, Shikoku, Kyushu)
* Manchuria 1939 (Republic of China; later People's Republic of China)
* Taiwan 1939 (Republic of China)
* South-East Asian Colonies 1943 (British Malaya, French Indochina, the Philippine Commonwealth and the East Indies)