There are some people who say attacking the US fleet turn one is essential and there are others who will say it is suicide. I think both are right. Personally I go for this option. Do not attack Pearl Harbour. If anything it will deprive Japan of some ships and or aircraft.

Buy 2 Transports and bring the entire Japanese fleet together at Japan. Start ferrying men into Manchuria. Take China, and all of Asian USSR and India. If the US decides to go against Japan you have a strong position to intercept the US going from Alaska to SFE or if the US goes south to block them in Burma (opportunity to land men here). If the US buys 4 subs buy another Transport. If they come within range buy 2 subs.

Japan has a slight advantage in ships (extra Battleship) and as defensive in posture can make use of its aircraft to attack any US fleet within range. If attacked will have advantage in defensive units (Trans-ports) to take hits and give the big guns more shots (Carrier, Fighters, Battleships). The US needs to invest 40 or 60 or 80 IPCs to get a fleet large enough to battle yours. You can defeat this build up with a smaller one of your own (say 24 or 32 or 40 (Subs and Transports)).

By not attacking the US Japan will keep its 4 or 5 Fighters and Bomber to hit the USR with. By loading men into Asia for 3 or 4 turns (8 or 10 men per turn) and using the air forces you can gain a large piece of Asia. Then building ICs in Manchuria, Burma, India will give a platform for Armour and Infantry to take Moscow.

Remember attacking the USA is a waste of effort, as at most you can get a few IPCs out of it (Hawaii, Alaska, Mexico) The USA can buy 10 Infantry and plop them on West USA and any force you bring over will be nullified. By supporting this landing you will deprive the Russian Front of men and resources.

Aside

To enhance the game try some of the variants. I have some links to sites with house rules and links to some expansion sites and have my own expansions that add some complexity and variation into the game. I have a free expansion that makes the Pacific a bit larger. Those 4 boxes in the corner are hardly ever used by me and I turn them into new territories. I change the values of a few territories and add some new units. Example German sub in south Atlantic/Indian ocean, UK transport in Fiji, Japan Sub in New Caledonia,... So now the Pacific: Japan (9 IPCs in islands), Hawaii (1 for USA), Australia, New Zealand, (3 IPCs for UK) which totals 13 IPCs is added to by Fiji, New Caledonia, Marquesas (2 IPCs for UK), and existing ones are increased: Midway, Solomons, Borneo, East Indies (+1 each), to make the Pacific now worth 20 IPCs. A bit more of a prize for the powers (US, Japan and to a small extent UK) to deal with.

I am working on a new framed version of my A&A site - still under construction http://www.kw.igs.net/~tacit/frames