@History_Buff: Good analysis of the failed ALBA war effort, but you forgot something that is very important about how that war progressed, and that is the actions of the British. I was not expecting the British to go after Argentina yet again in this war, since I figured they would be too busy trying to help the Americans out in the middle east or something like that. The actions of the British army basically saved the entire Southern Cone region of South America from falling under ALBA control, and put lots of pressure on ALBA members Bolivia and Brazil, who otherwise would have been able to divert more troops to other fronts. Alot of the credit to the Coalition's victories in Latin America can definitely be given to the British, who went on the offensive in the region very quickly when the war began and probably saved both Chile and Peru from destruction.
@Nathan Madien: If only RL was like HOI2 politically. Have a problem with a country? Invade, annex, and puppet them!
@Sumeragi: Well, I know I said earlier that I had made up my mind regarding Korea as an ally, but once again I am having second thoughts. The fighting in China is far tougher than I had anticipated, and Japan will definitely need to liaison with the ROK to at least destroy the remnants of North Korea still holding out in the mountains.
Also, I should state right now that the idea of Japan completely conquering all of China from the pacific to the Himalaya's is not doable. China is a nuclear weapons state with a population 10 times the size of Japans. Japan does not have the military resources to be able to undertake such a plan. Instead, expect the war to end in a negotiated "Bitter Peace" with the PRC, where Japan makes big gains and China gets heavy punishments.
@Razgriz 2K9: Sorry, no Manchukuo, Manchuria belongs to Japan!
@everyone else: thanks for the comments!
As the fighting rages in Manchuria, Japanese forces detect a disturbingly growing number of Russian forces moving into the region. It appears that the Russian army either had larger forces based in the region than previously thought or they are able to redeploy forces from the rest of their country much faster than anticipated. Either way, Japanese forces can expect much heavier resistance in the area as time goes by.
Japanese forces continue their advance. Here, Japanese troops march on Yingkou, heavily defended by Chinese and North Korean units. The enemy hurls large quantities of reinforcements into the battle, but it only results in their units being ground up into nothing by Japanese firepower. The region falls under Japanese control after enemy forces retreat, unable to bear the terrible losses by trying to hold it.
Harbin is assaulted once again, this time by division sized units of Japanese mechanized infantry, part of the Japanese 2nd Army. Despite their valiant efforts however, the Chinese are able to bring reinforcements into the heavily fortified city. The Chinese are able to make very effective usage of the urban environment for defense, and repulse multiple offensive by the Japanese army. With their progress being stalled and casualties starting to mount, Japanese generals call of the attack.
East of the city is another setback for Japanese forces. 6 mechanized infantry brigades, hoping to secure the eastern approaches into Harbin, are driven back by a combined SCO army group, consisting of divisional sized units of mechanized and motorized infantry, supported by attack helicopters. Massive enemy numbers and firepower are now beginning to take a terrible toll on some Japanese fighting units.
Japanese Marines meanwhile attempt to divert enemy forces from the main frontlines to the south by launching an attack from Sakhalin Island onto the mainland. However, they are shocked to find that the enemy defenses across the strait are still very strong, and cannot be overcome with these forces. The marine's assault is called off before casualties begin to mount.
As battle rage on the ground, in the skies, Japanese fighters are on the offensive, trying to gain air superiority and protect the ground forces from enemy aerial bombardment. Dogfights are taking place all over the region, such as here, over Shenyang, where large numbers of enemy fighters are shot down. The air force may be outnumbered, but their equipment and the skills of its pilots are able to level the playing field in favour of Japan.
Air battles are also taking place in Indochina, where the frontlines are still very static. Over Hanoi, an airfleet of MiG-29's and Su-25's from the Uzbekistan Air Force is intercepted by fighters of the Royal Singapore Air Force, resulting in heavy Uzbek air losses and their retreat from the airspace.
On the ground, Thai army forces, taking advantage of what appears to be a weakening of Chinese forces in the region, launch a limited offensive to secure more ground in Chinese occupied Burma. The offensive initally makes decent progress, but Chinese troops prove to be very strong and skilled fighters, holding their positions long enough for their reinforcements to arrive in the region. with progress having been halted, the attack is called off.
Back to the north, the last batch of Japanese reinforcements arrives in theatre. all of Japan's frontline combat forces are now engaged in the fighting in northern China and Manchuria.
The status of the frontlines at the beginning of March, 2010. Japanese troops have made significant gains, but unfortunately the decisive victories Japan has been seeking are proving to be very elusive. Both Shenyang and Harbin, key cities that must be taken for victory in the region, are still just out of Japan's grasp, with very large enemy forces entrenched very heavily within them. Until both cities can be taken, the two Japanese pincers moving into Manchuria will be unable to meet, and victory will continue to be out of Japan's grasp. To the west, Japanese troops are making steady progress, with PLA forces, concentrated largely along the coasts and the Indochinese front, still slow to deploy reinforcements to the area. More worrying to Japanese commanders though are the growing losses being suffered by Japanese units. Many divisions/brigades are nearing the 70% mark for available manpower and equipment, representing losses that Japan will need to work hard on to replenish.
, the lands are pretty much worthless but are inhabited by strong people that hates the Chinese as much as the Japanese do, and would be a nice asset to your growing co-prospherity zone 
