A guide for Japan eh? Here goes.
Prep.
1) Build up 33 3INF/ENG
1.1) Start building a naval base, more later...
1.2) Raise threat of USSR
2) Gather your naval units into three's of CAP/LIGHT CRUISER/DESTROYERS/LANDING CRAFT, you should have about 7-8 of them.
3) Add 3 marines to each. I always build 3 militia, then upgrade to infantry & then to Marines.
5) Build 10 MECH(3)/ENG
War with China.
1) Deploy your forces to the border of Korea/Manckukuo
1.1) Place 3 ships & maries in Taiwan.
2) Prior to the "teach the chinese decision", change the minister that reduces threat & make sure you don't have the minister that raises threat but supports party, you need to keep your threat to the USA down for as long as possible.
3) After executing Marco polo bridge decision, launch 3 ships from Taiwan & invade Siam (don't forget the reduce threat).
4) After Siam in conquered, place naval base you've constructed on the narrow part of Siam near the British controlled territory, on the left side...you need the to be able to launch a landing craft to make the 3500 miles to Persia...later on.
5) Sit back, wait for Shanxi & Nationalist China to conquer Manchukuo. It's useless, so let them "take it". Pull your forces back, leave the parts guarded with marines if possible to draw the Chinese troops to them.
6) Invade Xiaoqing & Tinjian & head for Shanxi, you can cut off those forces in Northern China now.
7) Let the A.I do it's work, speed things up with marine landings at the Chinese cost. After about 2-3 months, China will surrender.
8) Take Communist China, no point in leaving it to join the Comintern,
Southern Expansion
1) Deploy to Truk & launch invasion of New Zealand, they've no navy, your marines will finish them off quickly.
2) Invade Australia, they've a reasonable navy, but it's no match for Japan.
Invasion of USA
1) By this point, their neutrality will be around 35-40% & it'll be about May 1938, they're weak at this point, so..
2) find the shortest distances from their respective Pacific islands & deploy, there's about 11 islands, you'll need your carriers for Hawaii.
3) Setup your INF/ENG for invasions of philippines.
4) Launch. Each island should fall quickly.
5) Once the pacific is secured, launch a carrier & battleship to land in the U.S mainland & hold the ports with 3 marines. You'll need to capture the other 2 as well.
6) Land 11/11/10 of your INF/ENG to 3 ports & let the A.I handle it from here. Once all 3 beach heads have linked up, add your MECH to the fray & set your A.I to blitzkreg, until you've taken Texas then change to "attack" or the A.I will leave gaps & US marines in Florida will mess up your front.
7) From the southern west coast city (San Diego?) launch a landing craft with Marines to Panama & invade/conquer it & get rid of the US troops there.
While US invasion is ongoing...
1) Get rid of Guangxi, they've resources that will be better used by Japan, don't bother with the other warlords states until you've got 4 transport planes & paratroopers.
1.1) Build 4 naval bases, you'll need them later.
2) launch Landing craft from the Siam placed port & invade Persia, once you've got a port, send in 7-8 marines, they'll finish Perisa off quickly.
3) Launch landing craft from Persia & invade Portugese West Africa & while you're there, invade South Africa before they join allies, you'll just make it if you've done it right.
4) Using your marines/navy, start taking Central American countries. There's a level 10 port there, I forget which country.
5) Start taking west coast South American countries.
6) From San Antonio, Chile. Send a Landing craft to Uruguay...that should fo for South America until U.S is finished.
7) Portugal & South Africa should be done with. Take Albania, it should still be independent at this point. Once you have it, sieze all the surround neutral Eastern European countries & Turkey.
8) Time will be getting short before WW2 begins, so conquer Ireland, Norway, Denmark & Sweden.
WW2 begins.
By this time, WW2 will have begun & the US will be nearly conquered, so when NAP is signed between Germany-USSR, seize the Baltics & conquer Finland before winter war begins.
By this time, USA will be conquered, but in government in exile, so keep a few troops in rebel provinces.
Finish off South America, use landing craft for the 4 VP's in brazil & plant ports on each one, once marines have landed, then conquer Spain.
Now, there's no one to oppose you, join the Axis, don't join, whatever, I want the world for myself. Don't invade the allies until Barbarosa has begun or Germany joins in & starts Barbarosa early when the Soviets attack after UK is occupied.
I've usually at this point built troops in manchuria, a defensive line on the Indian/Persian border & Turkish strait & I've a big force in former Romania, so when Germany attacks, I join in & "acquire territory" every 30 days, other than anything in Western Russia & so when the USSR falls, Germany has western Russia & I have the rest & I use paratroopers to finish off the USSR minors.
I then place a defensive line at the Turkish & Denmark strait & invade the Axis from Northern Spain & take north Africa. Once I've got into Germany, I launch naval invasions of Italy, several. They fall within 30 days & after about 6 months, Germany falls & the other Axis powers are easy pickings.
