Hisashiburi, and welcome back to another Japan dev diary, where this time I, D3vil, intend to showcase the alt-historical paths that Japan can take in the upcoming DLC, No Compromise, No Surrender. If you missed the historical and common branches, or just want to read up on them again before going into this diary, you can do so here.
The Imperial Way
We will start today off by discussing the path most similar to what you have already seen, namely the Kodoha branch. Previously, this branch allowed only for the execution of a strike north doctrine, and a non-aligned Japan with the emperor at the top. This isn’t entirely accurate to the ideology of the Kodoha however, which you will get into power by selecting the following option in the event that fires at the end of the Coup Attempt mission showcased in the last dev diary and in the dev corner.
This path allows for access to the same foreign policy branch as the historical branch has, and as such allows for both a strike north and strike south playthrough, or even both. Here however the army takes much more of a front seat compared to the navy, so you will have to work harder if you want to make a Strike South approach as successful and tempting as it was historically.
The branch plays much less with puppets, and is more about directly occupying territories and eventually attempting to bring them more closely into the Japanese realm, which is highlighted through the annexation of Manchuria and the faction options, which allow for less puppet-bonuses and a more centralized approach.
The Kodoha can also after some effort put an end to the Kwantung army’s autonomy, allowing for a more flexible approach to the timing of the invasion of China.
This path has the ability to be either fascist or non-aligned in ideology, depending on the leader of the nation and the choices made in shaping its political landscape.
This path takes a more pro-rural economical approach compared to the historical one, as well as much more of a “supremacy of will” approach when it comes to warfare, as many of the young officers in the faction came from smaller villages, and as theorists within the Kodoha believed that no matter the technology, what would ultimately win wars were fierce and dedicated soldiers that would lay down their life for the Emperor.
The path ultimately culminates in the propagandization of the Japanese mythological founding tales, and the rapid indoctrination for a final war that will engulf the globe. Japan will march out on a conquest to unify the eight corners of the world, and attempt to seize its place at the top of the world.
A Turn Towards Democracy
And with that, let’s turn to a bit less militaristic path, one where Keisuke Okada speaks out against the military’s growing power over the government after the failed coup attempt by the Kodoha faction.
Here, Japan will immediately flip democratic, however all will not be as peaceful as Okada may have wanted. By defying the military, he once again repeats the path of several prime ministers and politicians before him, and before long, tragedy strikes.
This will rapidly deteriorate relations between the various factions in the nation, and Hirohito will give his blessing to have Machida Chuuji, the leading candidate of the Rikken Minseito which won the last general election step in as an interim prime minister to deal with the crisis. He will rapidly hold an internal election to decide who is best fit to unite the democratic elements within the country, in order to counter the military, which is planning another coup d’etat.
The cabinet will need to start securing states within the country from being entrenched by the military, while securing the support of various groups and army leaders alike, to gain the upper hand in the coming clash.
Once ready to deal with the now volatile and unruly military, the Prime Minister will repeal the Peace Preservation Law, which was put in power by the militarists to limit democratic influence in the nation, and remove dissonance from the cabinet. This however, will not go as smoothly as the leaders of the nation may have wished for.
With a civil war not at their hands, the cabinet will have ample opportunity to reshape the army structure and military doctrine to better fit their wishes, and rid themselves of their militaristic opposition. Once the war is over, it is time to hold the nation's first free and open elections since the militarists first started rising to power during the late Taisho era. The outcome will shape how the economy and recovery process evolves, as well as who may be selected as the prime minister the next time the opportunity comes around.
Once democracy is properly back in fashion, the democrats have two main goals. To rapidly modernize Japan and bring it out of the economic slump it finds itself in, and to ensure that democratic principles can reign supreme all over Asia.
This path is by far the strongest when it comes to expanding the industries and research capabilities of the nation, and allows for the ability to choose between rekindling old alliances, or forging new ones.
They do also have the ability to expand their borders in the name of democracy, bringing the ultimate goal of unifying Asia under one government.
The Unthinkable Option
Now with that side of the anti-militarist coin explained, it’s time to discuss the more left leaning elements within Japan, a group sorely dissatisfied with the heavy repression enforced by the militarists and the Thought Police, often being actively hunted and killed whenever found to harbor anti-monarchist ideas. You guessed it, it’s the communists, and though they are by far the smallest and least likely group to emerge victorious in Japan at the time, the circumstances Okada opened up for by opposing the military make this option far from unthinkable.
The first thing that can open up for their return to Japanese politics is if the socialist democrat Isoo Abe is assigned as the interim prime minister who is meant to solve the ongoing crisis. Placing him in charge of the democratic party opens up for the pre-civil war focuses on the left to be taken, in which the beaten but not defeated communist movement in strengthened as an effort by Isoo to build a stronger anti-military coalition, something which may not end up working out for him in the long run.
This will allow the communists to begin building their support among the workers and dissatisfied young officers of the nation, allowing for secret bases, farmers militias and the swaying of certain Kodoha young officers that were pardoned as an attempt to appease them after their attempted coup d’etat when the situation turned south for the civilian government.
When the civil war fires, the communists will not actually support Isoo as he had thought, but seize the opportunity to begin the resolution, sparking a three-sided civil war. During this war, the communists will have to use every page in the anarchist cookbook to deal with their enemies, and engage in sabotage operations and fifth column warfare to deal with their opponents.
Once the war has been won and the dust has settled, it is time to solidify the party’s rule over the nation, and decide which of the major groups within the party will gain the upper hand.
The lecture group is more closely aligned to the ideas of Lenin and Stalin, and will pursue a more centralized approach, building up the idea of a one-party state which will spread the communist ideas to the rest of Asia by force.
Meanwhile, the labor farmer faction takes a more umbrella-movementesque approach to governance, and focuses more on bringing the various socialist factions into the government and focusing on rural reconstruction and development.
Both of these paths share a subbranch relating to the restructuring of a society that has been stuck in imperial and feudal systems for centuries, dealing with the question of the monarchy, the oligarchs who rose to power during the Meiji era, the traitors who sided with the militarists as well as the backwards education system, all culminating in a strong industrial focus that will provide mostly sufficient catch-up to make up for the time they have lost.
Once the nation and its people are sufficiently prepared for war, the time will come to liberate the people of Asia from feudal decadence and imperialist ruin.
Important to note is that none of the Japanese communist factions really liked the Soviet Union at the time, and as such both wish to act as counterweights against their influence in the continent, though going for different approaches on how to deal with foreign powers.
The Lecture Group will try to unify East Asia under one banner by force, attempting to become a Soviet Union that can stand up against not only the USSR to its west and north, but also the Commonwealth and the USA to its south and east.
The Labor-Farmer faction however will attempt to establish puppet government throughout the comintern, adopting a similar playstyle to that of the Greater East Asian Co-Prosperity Sphere, using slightly more subversive tactics in an attempt to liberate Asia for colonialists and imperialists.
Final Teasers
Now that I am done showcasing what will be coming in terms of new focuses branches for Japan, I will leave you with some teasers of characters you may encounter on your travels across Japan.
Oh and not to mention, of course Japan is getting new 3D models and equipment!
And with that concludes today's dev diary, the final one showcasing Japan before you get your hands on it in the near future! I thank you all for taking your time reading this, and hope you have fun playing as Japan, even if you may have to fight a land war in Asia.