Japan starts the game already tangled up in a war in China that can drag on indefinitely and drain resources for nothing in return. This guide focuses on how to close that front as soon as possible so you can calmly decide where to expand next.
Starting Point
The war with China is designed to eat up time and resources if you let it stagnate. The first thing to decide is how fast you want to resolve it: the sooner it ends, the sooner you can dedicate your industry and army to this nation's core decision — expanding north (against the USSR) or south (against the European colonies and, eventually, the United States).
Recommended Route
- Prioritize the focuses that speed up or resolve the China front in the first few months.
- Decide your strategic direction (north or south) early, so you don't split your industrial investment between a large land army and a large fleet at the same time.
- If your goal is southward expansion, the Navy and naval aviation are the industrial priority; if it's north, the weight goes to the land army.
- Watch your relationship with the United States if you expand south — it's the power most likely to complicate that route in the medium term.
Common Mistakes
The most frequent mistake is leaving the China front open for the whole game "because it's already there," without realizing it keeps consuming equipment and manpower that could go toward real expansion. The second common mistake is trying to build a huge land army and a huge navy at the same time, without the industry to properly sustain either.
Next Steps
This guide will expand with the north and south routes broken down separately. Also check out the DLC guide — the No Compromise, No Surrender expansion especially expands Japan's and China's content.