This is another update of my old japan suggestion threads ( Major japan suggestion thread 🇯🇵 , Revamped Japan suggestion 🇯🇵 ,and Revised Japan mega thread, 3rd edition 🇯🇵 ) if you want to look at the old versions),the goal of which is to give many suggestions to the currently most underdeveloped faction as a sort of collection of things that could be added in the future.This post has an ton of suggestions (customization,guns,vehicles,BR changes,ect.) that some could be done at some point to give Japan some necessary things or at least ideas for premiums and events, to make Japan a full faction that has a choice of what to use at certain BRs and not be forced to use the same equipment over and over like it is now. So without further ado, here’s the 4th edition japan mega thread.
changes (not BR related)
Ka-Chi gets the option to remove floats
Huge,no commander’s hatch,paper armour,no MG,slow,and premium,the only decent aspect is the gun,which is decent at tank penetration,but is only about as good as the German short 50mm on the panzer 3J with worse HE.the removal of the floats would let the hull MG be used and would give the main gun more depression.
J2M3 replaces the 60kg bombs for 100kg bombs
Being this high BR and having the same bombload as the BR1 fighter is…a questionable choice.If this is changed, it can be better armed for high BR.
Ki-61 I and II replace the 100kg bombs for 250kg bombs
despite being BR4, this plane has only 100kg bombs, whereas the BR3 P51 has dual 500 pound bombs (250kg equivalent). It would be a logical move, in this case, to let the Ki-61 use 250kg bombs.
BR changes
Chi Ha Kai → BR1
the cannon on here is decent (for taking out tanks of similar BR,infantry support isn’t good),but just about everything else isn’t,slow,worse MGs,paper armour.
Chi He → BR1
This is really just a Chi ha kai but with armour about the same of the panzer 3J’s, which is a BR1 tank and is better in just about every way
Ka Chi → BR1
with no MG, quite thin armor, huge, slow, and a cannon similar to if not worse then some on BR1, I don’t see much of a reason to keep the driving boat at BR2
I-Go Ko
This first mass produced Japanese tank, this keeps the well known lineage of paper armour, this tank would have a 57mm cannon that would preform better than the 37mms found in BR1, this tank was built before standard designs were enforced, so hoppers of up to 45 rounds could be used with this tank’s machine gun, although some sources debate the number. this tank would give a good infantry support tank at BR1 (better then the 37mm tanks at least)
chi ha flamethrower
A version of the Chi-Ha that simply replaces the hull MG for a flamethrower (type 97 or 100,both of which are in game),something nice to have as a flame tank comparable to the flame stuart (and could possibly be a TT Chi-Ha as well, since one of the most mass produced tanks was randomly made premium).
Ke-Nu
This was a rearmament of obsolete Ha-Go tanks being fitted with the discarded turrets of Chi-Has (due to many being replaced with turrets housing 47mm guns) in an attempt to get better use out of the Ha-Go chassis, upgrading the armament to a 57mm cannon, a large improvement of the 37mm cannon it originally used.
So-Ki
A slightly better SPAA then the Ta-Se in a few aspects,most notably having a second 20mm cannon, would be nice with how many US planes there usually are, but has a much more exposed gunner and has slightly less armour then the Ta-Se
Ke Ho
Seeing how even if the Chi He and Chi Ha Kai are moved to BR1, there isn’t any free tank with a 47mm cannon mounted on it since DF made every single one premium or event, which can be an issue as other cannons on BR1 tanks aren’t nearly suited for anti tank capability as other tanks at BR1, even the 57mm cannons aren’t great at it,so here is a solution to that, even if it isn’t a great one. This was an experimental tank design from 1942 that used the Type 1 47mm cannon in the same turret as the Chi-Ha Kai, and preformed similarly to other Japanese light tanks. I’ll keep this brief, but you can read more specifics from this suggestion from the War Thunder forum that goes much more in depth.
BR changes
Ho-Ni III → BR2
the only notable gameplay difference from the Ho-Ni I is that it has a few millimeters of armour around the back and a small amount more shells.
Ho-Ro
A very lightly armoured and exposed gun carrier which has a 150mm howitzer. This might be a little too powerful for 2 and could get moved to 3, but it could be tested at BR2 to see how it would play, as it can be balanced by having no armour piercing shells, has very thin armour that lets artillery, planes, and anything bigger than a .30 cal do significant damage, and also has the downside of a crew exposed to fire from enemy infantry.
Ro-go
This is an experimental japanese “heavy” tank that has 2 turrets and 2 cannons (with the second being only a 37mm cannon, it won’t have much of a noticeable effect),but the larger of the 2, a 70mm cannon has access to a HEAT round with 80mms of penetration,which could make this usable at BR2 in the place of APHE shells.
BR changes
Chi-To → BR3
the Chi Nu struggles to penetrate the M4a2 frontally, especially over distance, and that’s an awful thing for the main BR3 Japanese tank to have to endure, not being able to penetrate a medium tank at the same rank while also having quite thin armour for BR3. the solution to this is by lowering the Chi-To to BR3 to let BR3 Japan more easily deal with shermans. This might be seen as too powerful, but it can be justified to be lowered to BR3. The armour is increased to 75mm of flat hull armour, which add an extra 25mms, and for context the panzer 4H has 80mm hull. The gun it uses, the 75mm type II model II, is only moderately more effective than the KwK 40 L/48 used on long gun panzer 4s, 151mm penetration compared to 145mm.
BR changes
Chi-Ri II → BR4
sure the cannon has a fast reload and it has the hull 37mm, but it’s main gun and armour are nowhere near good enough for BR5, it would be more in line with the Panthers/T-34-85s/Sherman 76s. The gun itself is identical in power/penetration to the cannon used on the Chi-To, with the only difference being reload speed. the armour isn’t really good either, with it being quite similar to the Chi-To’s, an barely angled front plate of 75mm, which compared to other BR4 tanks isn’t great, but can work.
BR changes
A6M2 Zero → BR1
A little fragile,very very limited 20mm ammo which is the only efficient way of killing since the 7.7mms do next to nothing,and less payload then some BR1 fighters with the only benefit being turn speed. which isn’t everything to consider in a plane, but it makes this a good fighter.Although, this plane does suffer from having to go through the long process of carrier takeoff, so that also dampens it’s ability to react quickly to bomber raids or enemy planes if you just respond, which isn’t an issue with non-carrier spawn planes the US has a lot of.This could maybe stay at 2, but it feels a lot to me like a BR1 plane, anything is up for suggestion if you disagree with anything on here.
Ki 32 - bomber
A light bomber that was used by the Imperial Japanese Air Force (so air spawn) armed with a loadout of one forward firing 7.7mm MG, a rear gunner with a 7.7mm MG, and a bombload 4x 100kg bombs (the potez has two 200kg bombs for reference)
https://wiki.warthunder.com/unit/ki_32
Ki 109 - bomber
this would be the Japanese equivalent of the Hs 129, it has a 75mm cannon with 83mm of penetration and 15 rounds, has a gunner armed with a 12.7mm machine gun in the tail
https://wiki.warthunder.com/unit/ki_109
BF 109 E7 - fighter
A possible event plane, some were sent to Japan from Germany for the Japanese designers to test german style craft,which lead to the Ki-61, but got little use otherwise, but could be cool to see regardless.
https://wiki.warthunder.com/unit/bf-109e-3_japan
Ki-43-II - fighter
A fighter with two 12.7mms with 250 rounds each and two 100kg bombs.less powerful guns with limited ammo, but slightly bigger bombs then the Zero.
https://wiki.warthunder.com/unit/ki_43_2
BR 2
BR changes
A6M3 moved to BR2
really just a zero with a drop tank and a few more rounds of 20mm, this thing really shouldn’t be BR3
Ki-45 hei - bomber
armed with a 20mm cannon (only 100 rounds) and a 37mm autocannon (15 rounds of HEFI-T,only 3mm penetration) in the nose, and has provisions for two 250kg bombs,but is balanced by having a large turn time compared to contemporary vehicles.
https://wiki.warthunder.com/unit/ki-45_hei
Ki 83 - bomber
a twin engine bomber armed with two 30mm cannons (100 rounds each,28mm penetration with AP-T shells) and two 20mm cannons (200 rounds each), but to counter the good guns at this low of a BR, you only get two 50kg bombs and have a similarly long turn time to the Ki-45 above
https://wiki.warthunder.com/unit/ki-83
D3A1 - bomber
armed with two 7.7mm machine guns in the nose and a rear gunner of the same caliber,this plane is armed with four 100kg bombs
https://wiki.warthunder.com/unit/d3a1
Ki-44-II hei - fighter
No 20mms,but four 12.7mms with a good ammo count and two 100kg bombs, this could be a nice addition to BR 2
https://wiki.warthunder.com/unit/ki_44_2_hei
Ki-44-II otsu - fighter
This version is different as the one above by having some 40mms cannons like Hurricane MK.IV,but because it has better guns and provisions for either 60kg or 100kg bombs (probably going to be 60) it should be 1 BR higher at 2.this would be a fun event vehicle.
https://wiki.warthunder.com/unit/ki_44_2_otsu
BR 3
BR changes
Ki-61-I Hei and Ki-61-II Otsu kai → BR3
turn on the slower side for japanese planes, around 17 seconds, less effective guns then the P51 with only two 12.7mms and 20mms (with only 200 and 120 rounds per gun on the different models) and only have 100kg bombs compared to the P51D’s 500 pound bombs
D4Y3 Ko - BR3 bomber
similar to the D4Y1,this version would differ by having 3x 250kg bombs (same bombload as the Stuka D3) and a 13mm rear gunner
https://wiki.warthunder.com/unit/d4y3
Ki-48-II Otsu - bomber
this could be a very unique plane,while not in terms of the plane itself,with no forward guns and only two 7.7mm machine guns protecting it, but what it is carrying; the Ki-148 I-Go Model 1B missile, which was a guided missile that had a warhead with 130kgs of explosives,would make this truly unique.The way the missile is controlled might be a little janky, even more so than in WT, since you won’t be able to use 3rd person like you can there to guide it and the missle like to pitch upwards.
https://wiki.warthunder.com/unit/ki_48_2_otsu
P1Y1 Mod 11 - bomber
The P1Y1 was a dive bomber used by the IJN, and would be interesting in game for a few reasons. For one, it is actually faster then the D4Y1 by around 20 Kph at 546 Kph fast, despite it being a much larger craft. Another would be the two gunners have not 7mm machine guns as you’d expect, but 20mm cannons, which despite the limited firing arcs, should be good for defending against enemy planes. The plane itself can carry a few different armaments, but I think the 800kg No. 80 bomb the Kikka got recently is the best option, considering it’s either that, a single 500kg, or two 250s.
https://wiki.warthunder.com/unit/p1y1_mod11
Ki-43-III Otsu - fighter
essentially an army version of the Zero that gets rid of the 7.7mms for more better 20mm cannons with ammunition. In terms of bombs, it could use 100kgs instead of 60s to better reflect the change in BR.
https://wiki.warthunder.com/unit/ki_43_3_otsu
MXY-7 Ohka - bomber?
a famous Kamikaze rocket used during the closing end of the war, with just under 1000 produced, this was a manually guided glide bomb with rocket boosters, was carried by a larger plane, usually G4Ms, then dropped when the target was in range,which can be a cool spawn in sequence for this plane, like how the paratroopers jump from the plane, it could be cool to see yourself drop from the plane (also gives enemy planes a short period to shoot you down before you launch).This plane can reach blistering fast speeds, 650 Km/h (400 Mph) in level flight and up 1000 Km/h (650 mph) in dives. The explosive payload itself was a 2600 pound bomb in the nose, and that is huge, but you can only get one life in this thing, so no rearms, being able to be shot down when you are being transported, and having to wait for the “crashed with plane” delay to stop to use it again, so those factors can balance out the massive impact this brings. The payload could be nerfed to only as powerful as a 500 or 800kg bomb for gameplay reasons as the full payload might be too powerful.
B7A2 - Bomber
a D4Y1 on steroids,this would trade the 7.7mms for 20mms,and has a 13mm tail gunner instead of a 7.7mm machine gun. The bombload for this plane could be either of 3 options; ten 60kg bombs, four 60kg bomb and two 250kg bombs, or a 800kg bomb.this would make a worthy BR4 attacker for Japan in the hole that was made from lowering the D4Y1.
https://wiki.warthunder.com/unit/b7a2
A7M2 - Fighter
the successor of the Zero, this plane has two 20mm cannons and two 13mm machine guns,but to make this plane viable for BR4, it gets the biggest rockets it game if added, the Type 5 No.6 Mod.9 rockets, which have 10kg of explosives, where HVARs have 3.5kgs, and the German rocket has 9.5kgs of explosive mass.
https://wiki.warthunder.com/unit/a7m2
N1K2 Ja - fighter
A pretty good all rounder plane with four 20mm cannons,it can have 2 Type 5 No.6 Mod.9 rockets (the same massive 10kg ones)
https://wiki.warthunder.com/unit/n1k2_jko
J7W1 - fighter
a prototype (completed,I might add) super prop plane where the propeller is in the back for some reason,armed with four 30mm cannons (only 60 rounds per gun) and 4 60kg bombs.
https://wiki.warthunder.com/unit/j7w1
Type 26 revolver
a domestic revolver design from the mid 1800’s, it was first used in the Russo-Japanese war, and continued to serve through WW1 and 2
Mark A pistol
An experimental high capacity pistol with 16 rounds from the early 1920s with very few produced.
type 14 small
A tiny version of the type 14 often bought by officers,something stupidly small and ineffective like the TK26
Type 97 (aircraft) modified for infantry use
The type 97 installed on early japanese planes modified for ground use with spade grips and a bipod, with a rate of fire of 900 RPM, this could be used as a faster firing alternative to the current type 92 LMG used as the engineer buildable MG nest, maybe costing more resources or being locked to high BR so it dosn’t make the Type 92 irrelevant.
Bamboo spear
this could act as a budget melee weapon (possibly throwable) weapon cheaper then an axe or Shin Gunto,actually used as weapons during the close of the war when guns and ammunition were running short in supply.
BR changes
Type 99 Early and sniper moved to BR1
the rates of fire of these 2 rifles are not fast enough to keep up at BR2, quite slow at only 55 RPM, and compared to the Lee Enfield at the same BR, it has double the ammo and a much faster ROF at 69, as well as the SMLE mk3 being slightly faster still with 63. At Br1, it would better fit since it would be more in line with other rifles
Tokyo Arsenal SMG 1928 model with 18 round stick magazine
a similar version of the BR4 gun with a 18 round magazine, and interestingly, the gun from what I’ve seen (and if you have something saying otherwise) had a fire selector that let you fire single shot or in a 2 round burst. This could be interesting to have, a burst fire gun at BR1, but I doubt it’d be overpowered compared to normal SMGs.
Hanyang 88
A captured Hanyang 88, a Chinese version of the Gewehr 1888 captured in large numbers from Chinese forces, and used extensively in Manshuukoku by second line forces. Since there is zero chance of there being a Chinese TT, anything Chinese should either go to Japan or in a few cases the US, and this could be something small to introduce the idea.
Spoiler
Type 98 LMG moved to BR2
this gun has a rate of fire more in line with BR2, and has a weaker cartridge then the type 99 MG as well
type 38 rifle with extended magazine
Something like the Gewehr 98 with the extended trench magazine, extended capacity Type 38 rifle 30 bullets.
Type Ko long
the version we have in game is the carbine version,this would be the full sized version of it and would be a decent BR3 gun for japan.
Type Ko sniper
a scoped version of the above listed rifle.
Bouganville type 38 GL
Something similar to the RMN 50, a handheld mortar
https://www.gunboards.com/threads/clone-of-the-bouganville-improvised-grenade-launcing-rifle.177562/
type 92 LMG
A japanese version of the lewis without the barrel shroud,if the event that the US gets the lewis gun
experimental 9cm type 4 conversion
An improved type 4 with the warhead being increased to 90mms instead of 75, 120mms of penetration
Type hei late (long version)
Japan lacks a BR4 self loading rifle to use, the type hei late (appears to be the short version) and there is one that was an old BP rifle from long ago, but of course that was battle pass. I suggest adding the longer version of the rifle into the TT so Japan can have an option for their BR4 SA rifle, or if the Type hei late we already have is the long version, add the shorter carbine version to the TT.
ZH 29
Fairly large numbers were captured from Chinese forces, 285 or so, who had bought many from Europe. due to the large number of examples, it could make sense to add this to the TT since there aren’t many other options for this spot. These captured ZH 29s actually lead to the development of the type Otsu rifle, which I would have suggested as well with a 10 round magazine, but I couldn’t find any evidence of such a thing existing.
KE-7 with 50 rounds
a BR4 LMG is needed for japan,and this would be a good way to give it to them.takes the magazine size of the BR3 version and doubles it,making it good for BR4.
type 97 AT rifle with experimental Ji Te Dan
A special, experimental armour piercing grenade fired from the Type 97 anti tank rifle,with around 250mms of penetration,this would be a nice deterrent to high BR enemy armour without having to use a copy pasted ofenrohr.
(The text translates to something like “trial production munition Ji Te”)
Type 99 mortar
An 81mm high BR mortar for Japan
type 92 97 round drum
The same gun as the BR3 Type 92 Lewis copy I suggested further above but with a 97 round drum.
Type 98
A copy of the MG15 licensed to Japan from Germany, used in a variety of roles, from the intended aircraft use to use on the ground as a recycled gun as well, much like the gun it was a copy of.
type 2a 6.5x30mm
This could be a proper assaulter weapon for BR5 and would allow the devs to finally give japan assault engineers. It uses a modified type 2 SMG chambered for an experimental shortened version of the 6mm Arisaka cartridge, similar to 8mm kurz used by Germany
I wasn’t able to find much new in terms of customization this time around unfortunately, but if and of you reading could give suggestions for customization items in general for Japan, it would be greatly appreciated for you to do so.
Hachimaki are headbands that have been a part of Japanese culture for a very long time, and were originally meant to just soak up sweat from physical activity, but turned into instruments to inspire oneself, and often have inspiring Kanji written on them (The Chinese characters used in Japanese) with various meanings. In game, these could be a seperate customization slot from helmets, since they could be wrapped around any helmet or headgear, or forehead, so you can get quite a few combinations.
神風
definitely the most famous japanese Hachimaki phrases, this one is “kamikaze”, and means roughly divine or holy wind
日本
said as “nihon”, this translates simply to Japan.
一番
this phrase, “Ichiban” translating to “number one” in english,was another hachimaki seen in ww2
必勝
said as “hisho”,this phrase roughly means assured or certain victory.
闘魂
“tookon” in the pronunciation, this means “fighting spirit”
Rising sun pattern
-another common version of the Hachimaki,the iconic design worn upon your head.
Red Sun pattern
another Hachimaki design common during the war, the flag of Japan without the rising sun design
Type 99 Gas mask
this could be a cool addition to have.it would look similar to the ones on the guys below.
Also huge thanks to @Life_burns , @Aussie-Tachanka , @Killerwolf1024 , @Naohmcete , @Debayan001 , @_DELAVR , @Dregomz , @SzepWaxweiler , and @CapitanRastrero yet again for giving ideas for things to be used this topic, and also for the many other forum members who have suggested things for Japan over the long course of the forum’s life. If you want to help contribute but don’t feel like making a whole topic, then you could suggest things to add to the list in the replies below, if you want to.Thank you for reading all of that, if you did.This took a while to put together, so any feedback would be greatly appreciated, I’d be happy to discuss any arguments you might have with the decisions or any feedback.
EDIT: added type hei late (long version) and modified the ZH 29’s description, Changed Type 97 MG to fixed machine gun
