Its a shame a good discussion of Japanese strategies got derailed by an argument about subs. Let me see if I can’t throw out a few things to get us back on track.
Not really, because subs can or cannot make a big difference in Pacific (and thus Japanese strategy).
Where should Japan position the sea zone 57 carriers and why?
Depends on my build and whether I lost any Fighters, but usually 1 goes to Japan and 1 to Okinawa. That leaves them close for mutual support but gives them both a slightly different range of operation on J2.
When do you build an IC, where do you put and why then and there?
That completely depends on the Allied response. If they go KGF or even dont make 100% commitment to the Pacific, IC goes in Manchuria on J2 to crush the Chinese and any remaining Russians. A second IC will likely come down in India or Burma depending on the situation.
What are your responses to US naval builds and why?
More or less depends on what the US does build in SanFran, but usually I’ll go with CVs and Fighters (and some throwaway DDs). They give the greatest range of operation and they can combine up the most firepower in an area efficiently. Add some Fighters to island bases if the US is serious about fighting in the Pacific. Usually Bombers are a pretty safe bet because if you win the sea, they can quickly shift to wrecking Russia’s factories.
In general, I’ve found Okinawa to be a key point for Japan to station a few ships. It allows you to block off the SoPac from the US if need be by dropping a ship at Pearl. This can often buy you a turn to get moving from Japan.
I’ve found that so far, the US pretty much has the initiative in the Pacific. Japan has to split her time and attention for the first few turns giving the US some time to start mucking around. That draws Japanese resources away from the continent and buys Russia and maybe the Brits some time. Japan cant ignore a US presence or she will quickly start losing large chunks of income. This means that the battles should not stagnate between experienced players. Our first few games has the big standoffs and arms races but since then its been all fluid battles where smaller fleets are sparring rather than massive fleets going for win or lose battles.