Ships of Japan

As an island nation, the Imperial Japanese Navy^[1] (IJN) was consistently the forefront of Japan's military, characterized by advanced development of naval technology, quality shipbuilding and superb seamanship. Japan also readily looked to and accepted foreign input after the opening of their borders, from the rapid assimilation of foreign technology, to the frequent military exchanges^[2] with Dutch, French, British and United States navies, with plenty of naval students being sent to their naval academies and many ships (such as the Kongo) initially being purchased or built in their dockyards while Japan perfected her own shipbuilding capabilities. At the onset of World War II^[3], the IJN was among the few navies who had properly adopted naval aviation and the only navy with fully developed torpedo assets, achieving stunning victories and technological innovations — sweeping successes in the First Sino-Japanese and Russo-Japanese Wars, the Battle of Tsushima giving Japan the distinction of being the first Asian country to have defeated an European power in the modern age, the sinkings of HMS Prince of Wales and HMS Repulse, the world's first purpose-built aircraft^[4] carrier, the deadly Type 93 "Long Lance" torpedo — and laying down classes of cruisers^[5] and destroyers^[6] that, despite being much older than their adversaries, remained among the most powerful of their class of any nation during the War.

However, several mistakes and oversights during the war resulted in their near-annihilation by the United States Navy. Design flaws — typically the results of cramming as much weaponry as possible into a limited displacement — caused certain ships to be top-heavy and unstable. While concentrating air assets into a single, cohesive force was as effective as it was revolutionary, their carriers were inadequately protected from counterattacks due to lack of radar, faulty design and configuration of anti-aircraft guns, as well as ineffective fire control systems. The surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii of 7 December 1941 was a tactical victory but a strategic error, bringing into the war a nation that — while initially under-prepared and as yet unwilling to go to war — had near-limitless resources and unmatched production capabilities. Compounding the error, little to none of the support facilities based in Pearl Harbor — naval repair yards, fuel depots, logistics infrastructure — were attacked, allowing the United States to quickly recover and strike back with a vengeance from their primary naval base in the Pacific. In contrast, Japan did not have the capabilities to replace their losses as quickly, were incredibly dependent on imports — indeed, reducing that dependency was actually one of the major reasons for Japan's expansionist desires — and their unprotected shipping lines due to under-investment in anti-submarine and anti-aircraft warfare allowed the United States Navy to slowly starve Japan into submission.

Japanese ships tend to have great variations in design; each class encountered is likely to have noticeably different handling characteristics from the previous tier, a result of the IJN constantly experimenting with or influenced by different designs and doctrines. They boast consistently superior torpedoes, accurate and long-range guns with high alpha damage, and outstanding concealment and mobility; however, they suffer from inferior survivability and anti-aircraft defenses. Their play style is very similar to the "decisive battle" doctrine that dominated IJN tactics: strike fast and strike hard with precision at targets of importance and/or opportunity, but every hit taken in exchange will be painfully felt.

Destroyers

Gameplay

Japanese destroyers rely on remaining unspotted and depend heavily on making good use of their torpedoes; the tech tree splits at Tier V after Isokaze, with one line focusing on torpedoes and the other on gunnery.

Fubuki, Tier VI destroyer

The torpedo-centric line, starting with Mutsuki, tends to have weak, slow-turning main battery guns that are generally not worth firing unless they happen to be pointing in the enemy's direction. Even then, it is frequently better to hold fire to maintain concealment. Concealment issues are exacerbated with the Smoke Generator 

on Japanese destroyers having fewer charges and shorter durations, giving captains less flexibility to get out of sticky situations. Fortunately, from Tier IX, their concealment values are above average; Tier X's Shimakaze has the best concealment value at her tier. Their torpedoes are unmatched at every tier, having the highest damage and longest ranges of any vessel that can equip torpedoes. This allows them to snipe enemy warships while well out of visual range. Starting with Yūgumo at Tier IX, their guns begin to[ be more effective and captains get to choose from three types of torpedoes: high-speed (up to an incredible 76 knots) but shorter range and mediocre detection range; very long range but low speed ("low" being something of a misnomer, given that they still move at more than 60 knots) and bad detection range; and an in-between option that has average speed coupled with better detection (though still more easily spotted than other nation's) and range. This allows for variable play styles and keeps opponents guessing. Combined with the Torpedo Acceleration skill the short-range torpedoes can be particularly vicious; it is almost impossible for enemy captains to dodge torpedoes streaking in at a whopping 81 knots. However, while these torpedoes have a long range and are fast, they also have the worst detectability out of all the nations.

Akizuki, Tier VIII destroyer

The gunnery-focused line (which begins with Minekaze) does not mean that they become pseudo-American destroyers, but many of the quirks of the torpedo-focused destroyers are addressed to a certain degree, increasing the all-round capabilities of the ships while still keeping the distinctive characteristics of Japanese destroyers. However, all these improvements are implemented in an arduously gradual process — captains will only start seeing real differences once they reach Shiratsuyu and Akizuki at Tiers VII and VIII, respectively. Their turret-turning speeds are improved, their guns fire faster and further (shell damage and velocities are largely the same) and they have better anti-aircraft suites. Amazingly, until Tier VIII their concealment values are better than that of the torpedo-focused line, and both lines have access to the same models of torpedoes. What's more, the gunnery-focused line gets a better version of the Torpedo Reload Booster 

consumable! As an added bonus, starting from Akizuki, the destroyers mount the Japanese 100mm guns with increased HE shell penetration allowing them to penetrate 25mm armor plating naturally. When paired with the Inertia Fuse for HE Shells commander skill, these guns can penetrate up to 32mm of armor, allowing them to penetrate the bow armor and plating of most high-tier battleships and cruisers. Tier X's Harugumo is the epitome of the IJN gunboat destroyer, spraying copious quantities of shells in all directions. Unfortunately, these ships are equipped with fewer torpedo launchers with longer default reload times, and their mobility is among the worst for destroyers, with inferior speed, maneuverability, and underwhelming acceleration. Further compounding the maneuverability issues are their massive size and larger-than-average detection range from Tier VIII onwards. With all of these quirks, the gunnery-focused destroyers are essentially pseudo-light cruisers.

Cruisers

Myoko, Tier VII cruiser

Gameplay

Japanese cruisers tend to have fewer guns housed in slow-turning turrets, coupled with excellent maneuverability and concealment values, and virtually all of them are equipped with a complement of torpedoes that are on par with their destroyer cousins - at the higher tiers, these torpedo tubes will often be located aft of the vessel hampering firing arcs. As such, do not be fooled if a Japanese cruiser starts turning away mid-fight; they may have very likely just launched a spread of torpedoes in your direction. From Tier V's Furutaka onwards, they are equipped with accurate, powerful guns that, while lacking in rate of fire, have reasonable shell arcs and velocity and are able to reliably penetrate or set their enemies on fire; their high explosive shells have some of the highest chances among all cruisers in World of Warships to set targets on fire. Their anti-aircraft suites are sufficient for self-defense, but captains will be hard-pressed to protect their teammates. Tier X's Zao is considered the very pinnacle of what Japanese cruiser design is: difficult to detect, she strikes first and hard. She is capable of giving enemy ships a nasty surprise when they are at close range and is a highly effective surface combatant in all situations.

Omono, Tier VII cruiser

The ships of the new branch can undoubtedly be considered classic representatives of light cruisers. They have good concealment, mediocre armor, and multiple guns that fire rather small-caliber shells in an arcing trajectory. The higher the tier of the ships in this branch, the larger the number of their main battery guns and the longer their range of fire. However, it has to be said that the gradual increase in their reload time is a disadvantage here. The Light Cruisers stand out for their large number of torpedoes with immense damage and range. Thanks to having the special torpedo turning mechanics, the new cruisers can make effective use of wide torpedo-launch sectors. The long-range main battery guns on the high-tier cruisers work effectively in combination with the ships' good concealment parameters. These features will allow you to dominate in battle and choose advantageous distances for duels. But do keep in mind that the arcing trajectory of their shells makes it difficult to aim accurately over long ranges, and the poor armor and large dimensions of the ships make close-quarters combat hazardous. It's recommended to keep your opponents at an average distance that is optimal for these light cruisers. Find islands or smoke screens to use as cover. If you can't find adequate cover, make sure to constantly change your speed and direction. By vigorously maneuvering, you'll make it really difficult for your opponent to aim at you. The torpedo armament of the light cruisers will allow you to control key routes or put a stop to enemy attacks.

Battleships

Yamato, Tier X battleship

Gameplay

Japanese battleships^[7] were somewhat restricted by the Washington Naval Treaty, forcing them to resort to unusual — but often innovative — designs in outfitting their battleships. This resulted in battleships that have widely varying characteristics: the ponderous and slow Kawachi; the fast and agile Kongo; and the well-balanced Nagato; culminating in the crown of their battleship tree, the formidable Yamato. Japanese battleships often have the highest caliber guns with the longest ranges of their tier, which they can extend even further still with Spotting Aircraft, allowing them to rain destruction upon their enemies with impunity. Many of them have good speeds and agility that belies their size and class, but their armor protection frequently lags behind their counterparts of other nations - it tends to be more evenly spread out around the entire ship, so while their citadels may not be as well-protected, at least until Yamato, they have few obvious weak spots. Like their cruiser cousins, their anti-aircraft firepower is sufficient for self-defense, but captains will want cruiser support to ward off more concentrated aerial assaults.

Aircraft Carriers

Shokaku, Tier VIII aircraft carrier

Gameplay

Japanese aircraft carriers have good maneuverability and concealment values, allowing them to re-position and evade enemies exceptionally well. With the exception of the Tier VIII premium Kaga, IJN carriers have AP bombers instead of HE. This limits their anti-destroyer role as a carrier but highly effective against German, French and Soviet battleships. Torpedo squadrons carry the best air-bourne torpedoes in the game which allow players to drop their load at safer distances from anti-air. Japanese carriers also have planes with the lowest health pools resulting in lower survivability when engaging ships with high anti-air capabilities. Poor or reckless endangerment of their squadrons will end up in the carrier running out of aircraft and thus being of limited use to the team. Hakuryu — or G15 Taiho Mod. 2 in official designation — currently represents the pinnacle of what IJN carriers might have achieved, as it can theoretically destroy even the toughest battleships with sheer squadron numbers alone.