Matrix Games Forums

I've read more than once from players on this forum that the Japanese surrendered to them on the first day of 1943. I assumed a certain set of negative conditions would have to exist for the Japanese to do this. I was dreading that day (because I love this game), but it didn't happen.

I'm now on January 6, 1943. The original Pearl Harbor Kido Butai are all sunk, along with CV Junyo and CV Hiyou. (I think that's all their CVs). Four CVLs and two CVEs sunk. Eight of their eleven 1941 battleships are sunk, including Musashi. CA X 16 sunk. CL X 18 sunk. 43 DD sunk. Their Merchant Marine is reduced by 70%, including tankers. Naval aviation is gone, destroyed completely. Their Army Airforce is smashed with huge losses, if still numerous. I now win every air combat with ease, especially in the East, and they suffer 5 to 10 times my losses. I surrounded and destroyed the entire 15th Army in Burma and am at the door to Bangkok (though it's a hard nut, may have over-extended myself). Their large New Guinea forces are at zero supply after I captured Buna and Umboi Islands, and after I land the 32nd US Division in Port Moresby, they will all be destroyed. They've got virtually nothing left. It's like mid-1945.

So, why didn't they surrender?

The game doesn't have a "Surrender" per se. It just brings up a screen saying "Major Allied Victory or Minor Allied Victory" if the Allies win or substitute Japanese for Allied if the IJ forces win. I forget the victory conditions but its something like 2:1 victory points in 1943, 3:1 in 1944 or 4:1 in 1945. You can ignore the screen and continue the game if you want. I usually want to plan and launch the invasion of Japan. Greyjoy and Canoerebel did it.

Bella wrote: Wed Jan 14, 2026 4:11 am So, why didn't they surrender?

To get the victory screen to display after the passing of the January 1st, 1943 date you'll have to achieve a 4-1 ratio in victory points sometime in the course of 1943. After the January, 1st 1944 turn it's only 3-1. In my most recent game I achieved victory in July '43 over Japan and this is what the points score looked like one day prior to their surrender. The points are always displayed on the Intelligence screen. My biggest source of points wasn't from sinking Japanese ships or shooting down Japanese planes, but from their strategic losses. Once you start a consistent campaign of bombing Japanese homeland cities the VP numbers really start to soar.

Thanks BR. I got the VP ratios backwards so 4:1 is the 1943 one and the 1945 one must be 2:1.

Thanks for the info. I’ve got 41,516 points, Japanese is 23,964, so not even 2:1.