Countering KJF as Japan in 1942SE

[Darrow]

My opponent has settled on a full KJF strat in each of the last few games we are playing where I am the Axis and thus far it’s been pretty effective. With the EI Japanese fleet gone first turn and the UK dumping 3 tanks/art/inf in India each turn while the US Pacific fleet either goes Solomon’s or Alaska  to threaten Japan with everything they have I’m finding that Japan has not enough economy to try to take both fronts on.

Generally the UK is buying 3 tanks a turn in India. Normally this would sound like a death sentence for Russia but even without the British fighters Russia is living until round 5 pretty easily and by that time there are British tanks all over south-east asia/china with Japan typically booted from the mainland. Also by round 5 there is a massive US fleet attacking what I have left of a Japanese fleet. Once the Japanese fleet is gone that’s game over without transports.

Basically if I transport enough ground troops to Asia to hold off the UK then my fleet suffers. If I spend any cash on ships (other than a couple of transports) then my Asia ground forces suffer and I get rolled up on by UK tanks.

I read plenty of Germany-centric strats on various boards but I have really read anything from the Japanese perspective on countering a full KJF push by the UK and US. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

[Geoscal]

I haven’t played against this strategy but I would counter by going for a kill Britain first.  UK wont have a lot of cash for defense if they are sinking it all into India.  This will also force the States to sink some money into the Atlantic to save the UK.

[MeinFuhrer]

I’ve found that my normal strategy works just as well in reverse.  I play rescue Germany with Japan, but have played against a KJF strategy a couple times and have found without the much needed UK and US offensive in Europe, Germany could smash Russian resistence and help out Japan.  Just turtle with Japan for awhile.

[Darrow]

That is what I’m trying currently, Japan turtle. An orderly retreat with Japan into Manchuria while stacking infantry on the home islands. Germany has just brought down Russia, now the german tanks are going going to speed to the East to backup Japan. I just hope there will be some territories left for Japan to take for some IPCs when it’s all said and done.

[texasranger97]

Build a factory on mainland Asia on turn 1
Then try to engage us fleet ASAP to wipe it to delay the US
If you cant, stay defensive, use your fleet to protect transport bound for Asia to counter Britain production in India
Let the US engage the naval battle
This should buy enough time for Germany to crush Russia and send backups and even try Sealion

[toblerone77]

@texasranger97:

Build a factory on mainland Asia on turn 1
Then try to engage us fleet ASAP to wipe it to delay the US
If you cant, stay defensive, use your fleet to protect transport bound for Asia to counter Britain production in India
Let the US engage the naval battle
This should buy enough time for Germany to crush Russia and send backups and even try Sealion

This… I usually mass my Jap fleet at the home island or in a central SZ that can react quickly to a USN attack.

[theROCmonster]

If your opponet goes 100% kill Japan first, then there is nothing you can do as Japan. The game for the axis will then be won as Germany. Japan needs to do 2 things.

One is buy a ton of navy. Japans first turn is the most important for her. UK killed your BB/Carrier off indonesia then you will be needing to buy sea units. You will have 2 transports, and I’d advise to build only sea/air units the first turn with Japan. Mainly air since US can aways see this and just not go after Japan, and then you are stuck with a bunch of worthless subs or destroyers. Every turn after the first turn if US is putting 100% of her money into Navy, then Japan needs to invest all of her money minus 2-4 infantry or so into navy as well. The longer you can stall the US from taking one of the islands and building an IC there, the better.

The scond thing Japan needs to do is to take as much territory as she can. Take all of russia’s northern territory, and have a couple units that can trade kazachstan back and forth with russia, while the majority of your forces should be in the south keeping UK India at bay. You won’t ever be able to take out UK India if the allies do a true KJF strat and UK plays it correctly, without compromising the pacific to US’s navy too soon. Say you have 4 transports. 3 of these taking units from japan to the mainland, and 1 picking up units from your islands then that meant you spent 14 into transports and 6-12 more IPC’s into ground untis a turn. US should have way more sea units than you and just walk all over the pacific. You also have to remember that UK is buying 2 fighters a turn, and by UK turn 4 should have 6-8 fighters and a bomber that are UK controlled that can hit your ships if they are off french indo china.

Japan should be up 8 IPC’s by the end of their second turn, and making as much as the US. By turn 3 they can be up even more and now they are out producing the US

[Global-commander]

@theROCmonster:

If your opponet goes 100% kill Japan first, then there is nothing you can do as Japan. The game for the axis will then be won as Germany. Japan needs to do 2 things.

One is buy a ton of navy. Japans first turn is the most important for her. UK killed your BB/Carrier off indonesia then you will be needing to buy sea units. You will have 2 transports, and I’d advise to build only sea/air units the first turn with Japan. Mainly air since US can aways see this and just not go after Japan, and then you are stuck with a bunch of worthless subs or destroyers. Every turn after the first turn if US is putting 100% of her money into Navy, then Japan needs to invest all of her money minus 2-4 infantry or so into navy as well. The longer you can stall the US from taking one of the islands and building an IC there, the better.

The scond thing Japan needs to do is to take as much territory as she can. Take all of russia’s northern territory, and have a couple units that can trade kazachstan back and forth with russia, while the majority of your forces should be in the south keeping UK India at bay. You won’t ever be able to take out UK India if the allies do a true KJF strat and UK plays it correctly, without compromising the pacific to US’s navy too soon. Say you have 4 transports. 3 of these taking units from japan to the mainland, and 1 picking up units from your islands then that meant you spent 14 into transports and 6-12 more IPC’s into ground untis a turn. US should have way more sea units than you and just walk all over the pacific. You also have to remember that UK is buying 2 fighters a turn, and by UK turn 4 should have 6-8 fighters and a bomber that are UK controlled that can hit your ships if they are off french indo china.

Japan should be up 8 IPC’s by the end of their second turn, and making as much as the US. By turn 3 they can be up even more and now they are out producing the US

you don’t like the complex on mainland idea?

[theROCmonster]

An IC buy for Japan really depends on what the allies do. If they go all out against Japan, then an IC is a waste of resources since you will need all the money you can to build navy. All Japan is trying to do is stall for time in the pacific while Germany is the one that needs to win the war.