Nation Name The Empire of Japan.
Leader: Prime Minister Hideki Tōjō, Emperor Hirohito.
Territory: Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Manchuria, Russian Far East, South Karafuto, Kwantung Leased Territory, South Pacific Mandate, Shandong.
Nationality: Japanese, Korean, Taiwanese, Manchurian, Russian, and various other annexed ethnicities.
Description of Nationality: Within Japan, the idea of a Greater East Asian Co-Prosperity Sphere begins to foment. The nationalists believe that the "ABCD powers" (Americans, British, Chinese, Dutch) are a threat to all Asians and that Asia can only survive by following the Japanese example. Japan is the only Asian and non-Western power to industrialize itself successfully and rival great Western empires. While largely described by Western observers as a front for the expansion of the Japanese army, the idea behind the Co-Prosperity Sphere is that Asia would be united against the Western powers and Western Imperialism under the auspices of the Japanese. The idea drew influence in the paternalistic aspects of Confucianism and Koexcrementsu Shinto. Thus, the main goal of the Sphere is the hakkō ichiu, the unification of the eight corners of the world under the rule (kōdō) of the Emperor.
Population: 99,856,818 people across the empire.
Society: Japanese society has been somewhat westernized due to contact with Western society and attempts at westernization by previous leaders, but this has been countered by extreme growth in Japanese nationalism over the years; now being based on the concept of Bushidō and traditional Japanese values.
Religion: State Shinto, Zen Buddhism.
Government: Constitutional Monarchy
Economy: Mixed Economy
Military: The Japanese military, or the Dai-Nippon Teikoku Rikugun/Kaigun/Kōkūbutai, is not a force to be underestimated. It is a large and powerful force of around 376,000 active with 2 million reserves in 1938. The Rikugan (Army) of the military is largely a professional determined force and in theory every soldier believes it is a great honor to die for the Emperor as the samurai concept "to serve" is deeply ingrained in all the soldiers' culture.
The Kōkūbutai (Airforce) is also a powerful airforce split into army airforce and naval airforce, which developed along the lines of Imperial German Army Aviation so that its primary mission is to provide tactical close air support for ground troops while maintaining a limited air interdiction capability, like the Mitsubishi A6M Zero fighter and the Nakajima Ki-43. The Kaigun (Navy) has large numbers of surface vessels, due to abandonment of restrictions of the Washington and London Naval Treaties allowing it several more battleships than most other nations. It is the third largest navy in the world, and is a force to be reckoned with.
Technology: Currently the Empire of Japan has a mix of modern and pre-war equipment, though Japanese engineers and scientists are adapting new technologies from foreign technology and creating their own to allow for greater military superiority.
National Focus: Japanese nationalism, military might, honor.
Background:
Imperial Japan's rapid industrialization and militarization under the slogan Fukoku Kyōhei ("Enrich the Country, Strengthen the Army") led to its emergence as a world power, eventually culminating in its membership in the Axis alliance and the conquest of a large part of the Asia-Pacific region. Its background follows proper historical background up until 1938, before which the Japanese delegation to the League of Nations, defying world opinion, withdrew from the League of Nations Assembly after the assembly had adopted a report blaming Japan for events in Manchuria; this was among the major reasons for the eventual break up of the League of Nations.
Alliances: Negotiations for a German-Japanese alliance began in 1937, and are in full swing, but other than that Japan has no allies due to its isolationism; only annexed lands.
Trading Agreements: German Reich.
Strengths: Japanese soldiers are fanatically devoted and stoically determined in addition to being well trained, preferring to die than to get captured by the enemy. The Japanese Navy is also an extremely powerful force, being the third largest navy in the world that applies extremely rigorous training to all naval personel and uses the most modern technology available. Japan enjoys air superiority over most battlefields due to the combat experience of its crews and the increasingly advanced aircraft that they use. The Japanese also use several effective suicidal tactics to take down enemies as a last resort, such as kamikaze, banzai charges, and Kaitens.
Weakness: The Japanese military is generally resource starved as is, and as a result wars of attrition and disrupting supply lines is devastating to them. In addition, Japan does not have the industrial capability of many Western nations, making it difficult to replace lost units. A consistent weakness of Japanese warship development is the tendency to incorporate too much armament, and too much engine power, in comparison to ship size (a side-effect of the Washington Treaty), leading to shortcomings in stability, protection, and structural strength.
Best Infantry Unit: The Teishin Shudan Special Forces Paratroopers.
Best Armoured Unit: Although not quite yet in production yet, the Type 1 Chi-He is a powerful tank with a 47 mm high-velocity gun with a barrel length of 2.250 m, a muzzle velocity of 810 m/s (2,700 ft/s), and a penetration capability of 55 mm over 100 meters and 30 mm over 1,000 meters, almost double that of previous generations. Its angled, thicker frontal armor is welded, as opposed to riveted, and has a thickness of 8-50 mm.
Best Naval Unit: The planned Yamato-Class Super Battleship, which is among the heaviest and most powerfully armed battleships ever constructed; displacing 72,800 tonnes at full load and armed with nine 46 cm (18.1 inch) main guns (the largest caliber of naval artillery ever fitted to a warship), as well as having extremely thick armor in several spots.
Best Airforce Unit: The Mitsubishi A6M Zero.