A Nutcase's Guide to Japan

So you want to play Japan? Well, as with last time, we'll start you off with a song to set the mood:
Yes, it's not exactly Cold War, but you can pick whatever anime blather you wish if you feel that fits the mood better.

Japan is a decent minor with plenty to give it a place on the battlefield ranging from T-90 removers to a Leclerc with terrible fuel economy.

!!IMPORTANT!!
This guide will be assuming you have the correct names for the Japanese units. The mod that will allow you to see these names and not the ones Eugen gave (they were written out because NK already had Type ## formatting and they wanted variety for...some reason) can be found here[forums.eugensystems.com].

There's everything you really need in the Logisitcs section. The only thing missing is a CV with a top armor of 2 or above (those are highly resistant to artillery) but that's an acceptable gap.


The Japanese FOB with a few vehicles posing out front. Funny thing is it actually has the Denmark flag on it for some reason.

Take whatever you like, but the best CV option is probably the command infantry.

There are many options you can choose from here and basically every single base you'd want is covered besides marines and flamers.


Hudou-Ren engage Ivan as their okaasan takes an RPG to the face.

Hudou-Ren are passable shock infantry (they are light infantry not marines, so their man power is 10 men a squad like normal infantry) that can tangle with anything that isn't heavily armored, provided they are taken with the Type 96, which is what gives them so much fighting potential (seriously, grenade launchers are "I win" buttons in infantry combat). They carry a battle rifle, which means they should never be used in CQC ever as well as a recoilless rifle that has one of the worst AP values imaginable, which means it will two shot an IFV with just 2 AV on the front (the range is still nice). Also, take into account the fact that their MG, while accurate, has terrible ROF which means they will not have a good time by themselves without their transports giving them supporting fire.

Kutei are very nice SF for their price. The '75 version is a CQC block fighter (lackluster MG and AT paired with an SMG, sort of like Delta Force but slightly worse and without ground transport options). The '90 on the other hand, has a Minimi and a Charlie G which makes it a powerful unit for general combat purposes.

The PSAM is everything Stinger-chan wishes she could be (despite the fact that the Stinger-C should have more range than the PSAM and match or even overtake the Mistral). PSAMs have less range than Mistrals, but they still have more than Stingers and retain the 70% premium that the Stinger has (the reason why this is so good is AA missile accuracy is linear so the PSAM will always have a higher CTH than the Mistral). Use these liberally to give your ADN some small but sharp teeth for chewing up anything that comes too close.

Syoujyu-Buntai are honest line infantry with a fairly good IFV. The '75s version is largely useless as anything but cannon fodder (their transport options are only good for this purpose) while the '90s can hold their own fairly well. The Type 89 is a good fire support platform, just don't expect the ATGM to actually kill anything heavy with its 17 AP.

Chu-Mat squads are mostly irrelevent due to the ATGM's less than impressive AP and range. That doesn't mean they can't be used effectively, but they still don't have the same killing potential as just about every top tier ATGM team.

M67 squads are also useless due to their inability to actually kill anything with any armor at all.

Stinger squads are made obsolete by the PSAM.

It's not amazing, but it's got most of what you'd need.


Type 87 saws an Mi-8 in half with maximum kawaii.

Both mortars are run of the mill M113s. The first fires faster but does less damage while the other reaches farther but shoots slower. Both are viable for different purposes but the 107mm is usually more versatile.

Your HAWK is a HAWK. Slow as hell and dies to a sneeze, but can be spammed to absolutely shut down the enemy's air operation (provided you move after every shot and micro against SEAD) like any other cheap heavy SAM.

The Type 87 is a solid SPAAG. It's no Gepard, but it will still ream through anything in the air like all SPAAGs do.

The 203mm howitzer is a powerful Ctrl+Alt+Del button that takes a very long time to fire if you need to make everything in a small patch of forest or treeline either dead or too scared to point their guns the right way.

The Type 75 is a passable MLRS. Remember, only ever expect it to stun and be pleasantly surprised if you kill something.

The Type 81 is a little truck that boasts eight long ranged, but innacurate, F&F missiles. Imagine if a Tunguska and a Chap had a baby (without the SPAAG bit) and this would be what it would look like.

The Type 93 is an Avenger on steroids. Use it like an Avenger on steroids.

The M42 is useless.

The Type 75 is passable for saturation, but the 74 makes me really want to make a ♥♥♥♥ joke (its performance is about as impressive as its barrel size).

This is rather empty as far as tank tabs go in this game, but you've got two great choices that pull their weight nicely.


Type 90 engages Ivan with its 12 ROF cannon of dakka.

The prototype Type 74 with a grenade launcher is absolutely fantastic and basically serves every light tank job you could imagine (meat shield is not a light tank job) including acting as a grenade FSV in forests. It truly is one of the best mediums in the game. Eugen somehow though it logical to give it an autoloader it never had and make it volley fire three shells quickly which makes no sense realism wise, but it makes the thing hilarious to use. Just remember it has limited armor and AP.

The Type 90 is basically as I said previously: a Leclerc with terrible fuel economy. It has one more AP, a worse stabilizer, drives slower, and has more side armor. It does need a supply line to make sure it doesn't run out of gas, just like some other countries (hi America!), and can actually tangle with heavies (never go head to head with superheavies).

Everything else is either utter piss, or just made obsolete by the grenade dakka of the proto Type 74. The last non-proto version is actually not half bad, but it lacks the grenade launcher that makes the proto so good and you usually don't run out of the proto even at higher vet.

Again, a limited selection, but there's nothing in here that's actually bad.


Ninja engages commie helicopters inside their missile range and laughs at their poor accuracy.

JSDF Rangers are valiant troops that can hold their own in forest combat. They're sort of like discount GRU except their launcher sucks something fierce.

The Mitsubishi is your everyday recon jeep. I don't think they're very useful, but some people swear by these little things. They're 25 points for Very Good optics on wheels essentially.

The OH-6D is a great little picket tool and cheap recon on the go. Just don't expect those rockets to actually kill anything short of a 5 man recon squad.

The little Ninja is the pride of the recon tab. It's almost everything you could want in a recon helicopter, it: is nearly impossible to hit, will survive a 5 HE missile (will still be OHKed by TY-90 though), fast, has AA missiles and boasts some of the best stealth you can get in a vehicle. The only thing it doesn't do is fly! Oh wait...it does!

The last little adorable thing here is the Type 87 (seriously, the thing is kawaii as ♥♥♥♥), which is a little Ninja of its own. It can fire from cover and remain undetected outside of 1000m or so by medium optics which basically means you can pick on infantry and they won't know any the wiser until they're close enough to actually shoot you (by which time, if you haven't already GTFOed, the problem is you, not the unit).

Right.........so uh...funny story, I couldn't actually think of an image of an actually useful unit so........uh...yeah.


Something something, Chu-Mat.

The ATGM jeeps are largely useless for anything but spam (as seen in the shot). Of course, they're not meant to be taken all at once (I was bored okay?) but a pack of four is sometimes a better option than an actual medium tank as you don't really have one as Japan.

The relic from WW2 is not to be touched. Ever. Seriously, stay away.

It might look empty, but check the card count!


Eastern Cobra engages Ivan's T-72.

Mighty Eastern Cobra is a solid attack helo. It may not have the crème de la crème TOW 2 (though, I disagree with that notion, but the community and I don't see eye to eye on this; trade secret ja?) but the I-TOW still has a respectable 20 AP and the platform has 6 HP which means it can take an Igla to the face and not die!

I guess the OH-6D is okay, but honestly, what are you going to do with just four 15 AP missiles? Tickle a tank? Just get another Cobra card.

You've got an LGB carrier and...stuff!


I'd feel bad for the T-90 about to get flattened, but it's filthy commie scum.

F-1s carry two LGBs and cost a great price (just like every other LGB) for what they do, which is erase single units from the map! Vet doesn't add anything to them, as their great power is being spammed onto BUs and turning them into craters (it takes an entire swarm to actually kill a BU).

The F-15J is actually a decent platform for interception, though Sparrows never really seem to kill anything with 30%+ ECM.

The F-4EJ is nice because it comes at elite, but it never hits anything so it's mostly a waste of space, though as Japan, you should have plenty in your 60 points anyway, so take it if you want?

The ground attack version of the above, is however, actually decent. It has just as low a chance at actually killing a plane, but it comes with bombs on the side.

The Sabre with napalm is usable for putting flame on roads at the start but really is a waste of points all things considered.

I have no idea why you'd ever want to use the F-104J. Trash is a generous term for it.

You're kidding right?

Hey look, something new! I'm original when it comes to my own content, I swear!


Laser guided bombs are fuuuuuuuun.

Since I'm trying to be organized (funny joke that is), I'll break this down into categories.

TOWNS

Japan lacks powerhouse infantry for infantry killing, like marines - aside from Kutei, whose '75 version can be used as Delta Force (aggressively initiate CQC at all times). When backed by the line infantry in Type 96 APCs, they can be a viable town force. Don't forget your supporting assets of course; mix and match to the situation, and always remember to scope out your opponent (buying two Ninjas is techincally an option to counter an air rush, though is not effective against China's TY-90).

FORESTS
Grenades are your trump card and should be used as such. Your light tank comes at a very good price for its AP and can be very powerful when taken directly behind your infantry to stun their infantry and shoot their IFVs for you. Japanese light infantry are also very nice at forest combat as their AT weapon while weak, reaches far and can scare your opponent. Make sure to litter your area in PSAMs and always take a SPAAG for those "just in case" moments.

FIELDS
Japan really isn't good at fields. They have a good heavy tanks as well as good light tanks, but the Chu-Mat leaves a lot to be desired and will leave you floundering more often than not.

HEDGEROWS (think the middle of Bloody Ridge for an example)
The field where ATGMs mean nothing. This allows Japan to take advantage of their cheap 17 AP slingers which will put most Soviet tanks under 20 AV at a serious disadvantage. Japan needs to connect with the enemy, meeting them at cannon range just like the US does while still maintaining distance so their accuracy advantage remains in play.

LINEUP GAPS
-15 man squads
-Siege CV
-High AP infantry
-Medium tank
-Superheavy
-High AP recon
-High AP vehicle
-AGM plane
-High end ASF
-SEAD

COUNTERS
-Massed ATGMs across fields.
-Saturating heavy tanks.
-Counter grenade spam.
-High DPS shock infantry.

Avoid fields without cover to beak ATGM LOS and always try to keep the enemy force composition light as you lack heavy tank killing assets. Remember, your bite lies in REDFOR's general accuracy weakness at maximum cannon range and in forests where your grenade options take the field. Your AA and ASFs are not able to prevent aircraft from getting their loads on your forces so remember to not bunch up. The general composition (save for the Type 90) is also almost exclusively light so you are incredibly vulnerable to artillery barrage which means you need to always move around.

Japan can pull its own weight and can be very fun to play. Its coalition buddy, South Korea, fills its gaps in very nicely, but you can learn to work with those gaps if you try. Of course, you won't be beating a 90% W/L USSR player who cheeses your face off via Smerch and Burrito, but that doesn't mean you can't play and have fun with Japan national.


Now go out and spread the word of kawaii to those boring Eurocore/Scandi and USSR players.