Japan's greatest mistakes after Pearl Harbour

In China the best option would be to withdraw to Hainan, Taiwan, Manchuria, Inner Mongolia and Jehol.
This would free up several hundred thousand men.
Then it would be a case of helping which ever was the weaker faction in China to keep them divided.

The hothead IJA officers there would simply refuse to leave, and assassinate their generals.:eek:
 
Japan through away lots of soldiers in mass counter attacks. Japanise soldiers fought well on defense. More of them means more damage to Allied forces and a slower march toward the home islands.

Absolutely. Problem was, with so many hotheaded officers looking to die for their emperor, they wanted to die charging at the enemy, not slowly starving to death or dying of dysentery (thirst). Many junior officers either defied orders and charged, or kept on demanding the right to die honorably striking the enemy, until their commanders would finally give in. Okinawa and Iwo Jima saw this happen in the end. Particularly in Okinawa, where there was constant bickering between Ushijima's staff officers over whether to stay of a strong defensive line or launch allout assaults. Those arguing for a defensive strategy won most of the arguments, until the very end.
 
They should have conserved their forces and pushed into mainland china and then sue for peace.

At the very least they should have never provoke america into a war. Japan is already exhausted from the fighting in China why did they even consider opening a new theater of war in the pacific?
 
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