How would Imperial Japan build their military if they were as rich as Germany?

This is bordering on ASB and I contemplated putting this there, but if OTL Japan somehow politically and socially developed as it did in OTL with more or less the same leadership and goals as in the OTL, but a vastly bigger economy, how would they build their military?

In OTL, per the Maddison Project...

Japan had a GDP per capita in 1929 of $3188 (1990 USD) dollars to Germany’s $8184, while in 1937 it was $3643 for Japan to $9464 for Germany.

So Japan somehow develops to Germany’s level, with most of the growth probably based on manufacturing, but also improvements in agriculture, larger urban population, larger financial and tech sectors (which are probably created by these successful investments in manufacturing). Unfortunately, Japan still goes psycho here.

With goals similar to to the OTL, how would Japan build it’s military here under what amounts to the OTL government, ideology, and lack of WWI experience? But this time they have an industrial and wealth base similar to Germany.
 

Deleted member 1487

The problem for Japan was joining the industrialization process pretty late and having very limited markets and resource bases to draw from; specifically they lacked anything like the German resources like coal, which was a huge part of German industrial development as well as having critical large developed markets nearby. Without ASB I don't know how they get there especially given their financial position and trade competition in the imperial global environment. Because even if Japan had the industry where is the raw materials and export markets coming from?
 
My first thought was Japan would continue with a two tier army system. The Japanese imperial army and its reserves, then the local forces like the Manchuria army, or the Chinese warlord armies allowed to continue under Japanese supervision. Probablly continue with just a single naval force.

Japan came very late to the game with large scale mechanized units. Perhaps that changes a bit with a much larger automotive industry.
 
This is an interesting topic because in my view Japan was one of the most innovative participants early in the war. They came up with many technical innovations to overcome specific problems that many of the larger, more established military's didn't.
I'm thinking specifically of;
  • The Long Lance Torpedo
  • Breakaway flaps on the torpedoes used in PH in order to keep them from sinking into the mud upon drop
  • Using armor piercing naval shells as bombs in the PH raid
  • The first version of the Zero which gave it such a huge edge early in the war (at sacrificing pilot safety and survivability)
I'm sure there are other examples of technical advances.

They also were very adept at identifying their targets and outfitting the units tasked to take those targets exactly as needed.
I am specifically thinking of;
  • The Kra peninsula leading down to Singapore
Also some of their military thinking;
  • The adaption of Naval Air Power, carrier construction and tactics

My point in this is they knew they were smaller and had to 'think outside the box' which forced them to push the known and accepted standards of the time. Would this have happened if they were at the 'Germany' level from an economic standpoint?
 
The problem for Japan was joining the industrialization process pretty late and having very limited markets and resource bases to draw from; specifically they lacked anything like the German resources like coal, which was a huge part of German industrial development as well as having critical large developed markets nearby. Without ASB I don't know how they get there especially given their financial position and trade competition in the imperial global environment. Because even if Japan had the industry where is the raw materials and export markets coming from?

They don't abandon North Sakhalin, and the whole island joins Karafuto Prefecture. That should give a decent amount of coal and oil, and they can use Korea and Manchuria for further coal and oil.
 

Deleted member 1487

They don't abandon North Sakhalin, and the whole island joins Karafuto Prefecture. That should give a decent amount of coal and oil, and they can use Korea and Manchuria for further coal and oil.
IIRC most of Sakhalin island oil wasn't really exploitable until decades after WW2. Plus as it was IIRC the Soviets were selling the output to them anyway.
But even assuming the Japanese kept it the output at the time wasn't that huge, especially compared to Manchuria and they still needed markets to justify industrial expansion.
Perhaps in terms of just the oil the Daqing oil field in Manchuria could be found in the early 1930s when they were exploring nearby areas.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daqing_Oil_Field

A previous thread of that subject:
https://www.alternatehistory.com/forum/threads/wi-japan-found-oil-in-manchukuo.311529/
 
This is bordering on ASB and I contemplated putting this there, but if OTL Japan somehow politically and socially developed as it did in OTL with more or less the same leadership and goals as in the OTL, but a vastly bigger economy, how would they build their military?

In OTL, per the Maddison Project...

Japan had a GDP per capita in 1929 of $3188 (1990 USD) dollars to Germany’s $8184, while in 1937 it was $3643 for Japan to $9464 for Germany.

So Japan somehow develops to Germany’s level, with most of the growth probably based on manufacturing, but also improvements in agriculture, larger urban population, larger financial and tech sectors (which are probably created by these successful investments in manufacturing). Unfortunately, Japan still goes psycho here.

With goals similar to to the OTL, how would Japan build it’s military here under what amounts to the OTL government, ideology, and lack of WWI experience? But this time they have an industrial and wealth base similar to Germany.

"Why is Japan going "psycho" here?" Having the resources means they do not have to worry about resource shortages derailing a war effort in China, but with no Japanese intervention in WW1, you do not get the 21 Demands to damage their relationship with the U.S Britain and the nascent Republic of China, are you even going to get the possibility of a war in China if some else goes for the German concessions in East Asia?

This is an interesting topic because in my view Japan was one of the most innovative participants early in the war. They came up with many technical innovations to overcome specific problems that many of the larger, more established military's didn't.
I'm thinking specifically of;
  • The Long Lance Torpedo
  • Breakaway flaps on the torpedoes used in PH in order to keep them from sinking into the mud upon drop
  • Using armor piercing naval shells as bombs in the PH raid
  • The first version of the Zero which gave it such a huge edge early in the war (at sacrificing pilot safety and survivability)
I'm sure there are other examples of technical advances.

They also were very adept at identifying their targets and outfitting the units tasked to take those targets exactly as needed.
I am specifically thinking of;
  • The Kra peninsula leading down to Singapore
Also some of their military thinking;
  • The adaption of Naval Air Power, carrier construction and tactics

My point in this is they knew they were smaller and had to 'think outside the box' which forced them to push the known and accepted standards of the time. Would this have happened if they were at the 'Germany' level from an economic standpoint?

I do not think so, more resources could mean a more conventional Japanese military with less of the innovation which ranges from no Zeroes, Long Lances, and training, to no Yamato and death ray experiments.
 
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