The book just dropped and we’ve had just enough time to write a few from-the-hip hot takes. There’s no time to cover every unit entry, so we will focus on what jumped out.

Take a look at the full Armies of Imperial Japan review for a more level-headed analysis.

HQ

Kempeitai Officer
A boost from their previous iteration, Kempeitai Officers now only allow units within 6″ to re-roll failed Order Tests they also let you re-roll the result of any Green roll. If you are planning to bring a Homeland Defense Platoon to the table this is an auto-include.

Forward Air Observer
At only 50pts, the Japanese Forward Air Observer is a full 25pts less than other nations. This hefty discount comes at a cost. When you roll to see what type of aircraft arrives, 1-3 is now a Strafing Fighter and 4-6 is a Fighter-Bomber. There is no chance for a Ground-attack Aircraft. It’s softa the opposite of the Soviet Flying Tank Army Special Rule.

Infantry

SNLF Paratrooper Squad
At the cost of 17pts per model, SNLF Paratroopers have Tough Fighters and Iron Discipline and Giretsu. They are getting both Behind Enemy Lines and an upgraded version of Fanatics for +2pts per model. This is a squad that will never break from Pins (even when down to one model), re-rolls misses in CQ thanks to Tough Fighters, ignores the -1 Morale when testing to arrive from Outflank and removes two Pins every time they pass an Order Test. Talk about giving SAS a run for their money.

Infiltrator and Fieldcraft
There are 8 Infantry units with Infiltrator, 25 units with the option Fieldcraft and 2 units with both. Now, those 25 Fieldcraft units are ones with the option to take Veteran Jungle Fighters. But, critically, of those 25 Infantry and Artillery units with the Veteran Jungle Fighters option, 3 of them already have Infiltrator. Upgrading to Veteran Jungle Fighters is pricy (+3pts per model) but adding Fieldcraft onto a unit that already has Infiltrator if a force multiplier.

Mortars
There is something about Imperial Japanese mortars. The Light Mortars have a minimum range of 6″. Medium Mortars have Flak. The Spigot Mortar is an Artillery unit (more on that later). Grenadier units can bring up to three Type 89 Grenade Launcher per unit for a cool 25pts each. Even with the 0-1 restriction on Grenadiers you could still bring one unit of IJA Grenadiers, one unit of SNLF Grenadiers, and two Light Mortars in a Rifle Platoon for an intimidating total eight Light Mortars. And that’s just in a Rifle Platoon!

Extra Crew
With the exception of the Sniper/Lone Sniper and Suicide Teams, every other support weapon can add at least one additional crew member. Flamethrowers with four, AT Rifles with five, Heavy Mortars with six, the list goes on. And all for just +5pts per additional crew. Makes no difference the unit or the veterancy. The ability to add extra crew, for cheap, in an army that can Banzai! the enemy and fight as Fanatics in CQ is a strategy worth taking a hard look at.

Anti-tank Rifle
I mean, wut. Introduced in 1937, the Type 97 Anti-tank Rifle comes with two special rules that other AT Rifles do not. First, Fixed. A bummer as being able to fire on the Advance is one the reasons why AT Rifles are so good. So why is this AT Rifle Fixed? Well, that’s because it also has High Rate of Fire can has two shots. Yep. Imperial Japanese AT Rifles fire two shots. That is two shots at 48″ range and Pen +2. For … 30pts Reg. Incredible. That is S-Tier powerful. That’s British 25-pdr powerful. Make sure to toss on a couple extra crew for +5pts to make sure your AT Rifle sticks around.

Artillery

Armor-piercing shells
All three, yes three, Light Howitzers can be given Armor-piercing shells for +5pts. This upgrade lets the Light Howitzer fire as a Light AT Gun with Pen +3. Not only do you get that extra pip of Pen, you’ll also have +1 To Hit against any enemy vehicles if you use a Fire order per the AT Gun special rule. A fantastic (and cheap) upgrade that makes your Artillery all the more efficient.

320mm Type 98 Spigot Mortar
It’s baaaaaaaaack.

Even if you don’t deal damage, you still hit with d6 Pins. If you manage to roll 4+ Pins on the target, they are going to be forced to Rally and won’t be able to move next turn and you’ll hit them again on a 2+! This weapon is insanely powerful. All you need to do is land a hit, damage isn’t required, and you’ll take a unit out of the game.

Type 93 13.2mm AA Machine Gun Team
For only 75pts you have a HMG on a rotating platform with four crew and Flak. By comparison, the US HMG Team is 70pts with four crew, Fixed, and no Flak. That’s only 5pts more for both a 360 arc of fire and Flak. That rotating platform is massive, you can issue a Fire Order and spin the gun, no need to Advance and take that pesky -1 To Hit. Even more impressively, there is option to add a second HMG on the same mount for +20pts. If you do so, that’s 12 48″ range Pen +1 shots for only 95pts Reg. To again compare to the US, their M51 Multiple Machine Gun Carriage is 110pts Reg (also with four crew) and has four HMGs but critically, is Cumbersome and counts as a vehicle-mounted machine gun for determining how many shots are fired (12 in total). So you are getting the same number of shots for 15pts less.

Now, it’s enterally possible the Type 93 will be FAQ’d to also be Cumbersome, but until then, enjoy your 12 HMG shots! Oh, and you can add up to two additional crew for just +5pts each.

Extra Crew
We’ve mentioned it a few times in the both the Review and this article but every Artillery unit in the Army List has the option to bring extra crew. No only are they a steal at just 5pts each, these extra crew will ensure your Artillery units are much more survivable. And, if they do take enough hits to remove the crew, you’ll have plenty of extra crew from nearby guns to utilize the runs for re-crewing. Units like the Spigot Mortar can have seven crew – makes it real easy to bring that Light Autocannon or AA Machine Gun back online.

Vehicles

Soko Sagyo SS-KI Armored Work Vehicle
It’s not about the Flamethrowers, it’s about the Engineering Selection. With this rule, the SS-KI is the only fully armored vehicle that can be taken outside of an Armored Platoon. You can bring one in an Engineer Platoon – no Armored Platoon required! How useful is this rule? It’s not super powerful as player almost always bring an Armored Platoon but it is a way to get another AFV onto the table.

All those MG Tankettes
Imperial Japan has always been known for their Tankettes. They are cheap, small, easy to hide and are perfect for harassing the enemy. Most of them are armed with a single MG (LMG, MMG, or HMG) and with the change to how vehicle-mounted MGs work in Third Edition (half the shots) these vehicles took a major hit to their effectiveness. I’m sure we will still see them on the table but maybe not in swarms. Of course HMGs on vehicles back in 1st/2nd only had three shots just like they do now.

Quartermaster’s Stores

Battle Flag and Signaling Bugle
I’m a sucker for buffs and debuffs. Just like the Soviets, Imperial Japan can roll up with a big ‘ol flag to grant a Morale bonus. Additionally, the Battle Flag (unlike the Victory Banner) also projects you from an unlucky Rookie Pilot. The Signaling Bugle is only debuff option in Third (so far) and it’s something I’d like to see more of.

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More Unit Analysis & Hot Takes:

• Armies of the United States – Unit Analysis & Hot Takes
• Armies of Germany – Unit Analysis & Hot Takes
• Armies of Great Britain – Unit Analysis & Hot Takes
• Armies of the Soviet Union – Unit Analysis & Hot Takes