Legal Move?

@bjenglert77:

The scenario is this:

On Round 3, Japan moved two destroyers into sea zone 25 on its turn.

legal

@bjenglert77:

Then, after that but also on round 3, the U.S. moved a destroyer into SZ 25 as well as a noncombat move since Japan and the U.S. were not yet at war.  During the Collect Income phase of this U.S. turn, however, they are finally able to declare war on Japan and they do so.

legal as u.s.a. and japan are not at war, and u.s.a did not end their moves in a seazone touching a japanese territory.

@bjenglert77:

On Round 4, Japan moves a battleship, 3 cruisers and 2 subs from SZ 6 to SZ 25 to conduct combat on the U.S. destroyer. The two Japanese destroyers from the Round 3 noncombat move are still in SZ 25, but the Japanese player decides they are not going to be part of the combat in the sea zone.

Then, after the Conduct Combat phase is completed, Japan then moves those two destroyers that did not make a combat move and were not involved in the conduct combat phase and they make a noncombat move out of SZ 25 and move to another sea zone.

the japanese player can combat move new units into sz25 for battle.
the japanese player can not leave the destroyers in sz25 without participating in the combat.
the japanese player can move the destroyers out of sz25 in the combat move phase to avoid combat. this is also true if you have a navy in a sz and your opponent, that you are at war with, builds a naval unit into the sz making it contested.

I believe the rules state that if two powers share a sea zone while neutral, but becomes hostile due to a declaration of war. The ships of the power who’s turn is next must fight or leave the sea zone during the combat phase. So the way I see it… Japan could move the 2 destroyers during the combat phase as required, fight the American ships with different units, and than move the destroyers back into 25 during the non combat phase after the zone has been cleared. However, don’t take my word on that, the combat phase movement out of a shared hostile zone may end the movement for such ships in the same turn due to extended maximum movement of ships during 1 turn. I would wait for a more official answer.

Allweneedislove is correct.

@Young:

So the way I see it… Japan could move the 2 destroyers during the combat phase as required, fight the American ships with different units, and than move the destroyers back into 25 during the non combat phase after the zone has been cleared. Â

Nope.  Sea (and land) units that move in combat movement and/or participate in combat may not move in noncombat movement.