Japan

Imperial Japan
Japan is a Playable faction in Men of War: Assault Squad. Japan was known for their Bushido code (Never surrendering no matter what, or you are dishonorable), that made their infantry very disciplined and less prone to surrendering. However, Japanese land forces were ruined by a strategy later in the war called Banzai. Japanese troops would charge directly at the enemy shouting the word as a final bid of defiance against the ever-encroaching American forces. While psychologically effective, the Banzai would eventually become a weakness as more and more men would charge to their deaths.



History
The Imperial Japanese Navy made its surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, Oahu, Hawaii Territory, on Sunday morning, December 7, 1941. Japan fought alongside the Axis powers until mid-1945.

Usage
Japan is an excellent beginner nation, being very forgiving with losses and offering a diverse set of units for disposal. Sometimes deemed a 'zerg rush' faction, Japan's primary advantage is their notably low unit costs, which allows the user to deploy many troops onto the field very quickly, albeit at the cost of raw quality. Japan shares a similar advantage to the United States in versatility, having an excellent array of support weapons and vehicles from beginning- to end-game. A Japan player will not be disappointed during the late-game, as they boast one of the best Elite infantry squads in the game as well as the Ho-Ri, arguably the best Heavy Tank Destroyer in the game in terms of cost-to-effectiveness.

Japan excels early game - use their dirt-cheap prices to not only deploy many disposable troops onto points and defensive positions, but to lay down mortars, machine guns and light artillery to compensate for your lack of firepower. By mid-game, you should lean more on the defensive - use AT-guns and well-placed Elite infantry to hold the lines, using cheap replacement units to fill in gaps as quickly as possible. Try to apply pressure during quiet moments, not allowing your enemy to build-up and smash through you. By late-game, you can start to throw your weight around again while being careful. Use your heavier vehicles not to support advances, but to prevent the enemy from using their heavy armor against you. Even though you will usually lose tank brawls (except with the Ho-Ri), low costs will make these blows easier to endure.

Pros
+ Cheapest units in the game, by far

+ Excellent Elite infantry

+ Good support weaponry (artillery, AT-Guns)

+ Great cost-effectiveness even up to late-game

+ One of the best and cheapest late-game Armor units (Ho-Ri 2)

Cons
- Poor quality of units until mid-late game

- Armor protection on most tanks is terrible.

- Somewhat disappointing standard Machine Gun

- Bad defensive capabilities

Infantry Squads
Tier 1 Tier 2 Tier 3 Tier 4
 * Recruit
 * Combat Engineers (AP Mines)
 * Combat Engineers (AT Mines)
 * Mine Disposal Experts
 * Assault Infantry
 * Regular Infantry
 * Paratroopers
 * SNLF
 * Mechanized SNLF

Specialized Soldiers

 * Rifleman
 * SMG
 * Machine Gunner
 * AT Rifle Infantry
 * AT Infantry
 * Tank Crew
 * Flamethrower Infantry
 * Sniper
 * Officer

Transport And Procurement

 * Type 97
 * Isuzu Mortar
 * Ho-Ha
 * Isuzu

Artillery

 * Heavy MG
 * 20mm Type 2
 * Type 94 Mortar
 * 47mm Type 1
 * 57mm Type 2
 * 75mm Type 90
 * 75mm Type 4 AA Gun
 * 105mm Type 91
 * 150mm Type 96
 * Ho-Ni 2
 * Ho-Ro
 * Ha-To

Support Weaponry

 * Type 92
 * Ha-Go
 * Ke-Nu
 * Chi-Ha 57
 * Chi-Ha 47
 * Isuzu AA

Tank Support

 * Chi-He
 * Ho-I
 * Chi-Nu
 * Chi-To
 * Chi-Ri

Tank Destroyers

 * Ho-Ni 1
 * Ho-Ri

Special Units

 * AT-Riflegrenade Squad
 * Kamikaze!
 * SSD-Flame Tank
 * Homeland Fury
 * Ho-Ni 3
 * Marine Paratroopers
 * Type 97 Mortar
 * Radio Operator
 * Banzai! (2x Chi-Ha 47 + Infantry)
 * Marine Tanks (Chi-Ha 120)
 * 200mm Rocket
 * Ho-Ri 1

Planes

 * Ki-46 "Dinah"
 * Ki-61 "Hien"
 * A6M "Zero"
 * Ki-27 "Nate"
 * B5N "Kate"
 * D3A "Val"
 * Ki-30 "Ann"

Ships

 * Transport Vessels
 * Destroyers
 * Fubuki, Kagero, Minekaze, Momi, Yugomo Class
 * Cruisers
 * Nagara, Mogami, Furutaka, Tone, Aoba, Takao, Myoukou Class
 * Aircraft Carriers
 * Unyru, Taiyo Class
 * Submarines & Torpedo Boats
 * Otori, Tomozuru ClassM