Worldwide wargamers
The internet has done much to connect International wargamers for quite some time now. Even before the internet, as far back as the 1970’s and 80’s Japanese publishers were printing localized copies of American wargames. Today, those Japanese publishers not only print game designed and developed in Japan or imported from the U.S., but also from European designers. Assault on Japan Ancestral: Kyushu 1945 is from Spanish designer Antonio Rodriguez (X handle @Flanker334) and was originally published by Ludo Press in their Spanish wargame magazine Alea #41 in 2024.
In 2025 Yasushi Nakaguro (@yas2010 on X) of Bonsai Games in Japan took Rodriguez’s wargame and repackaged it as a folio wargame. That is the version I am fortunate enough to receive from Yasushi. I do not own the Alea Magazine version of this game so what follows is not a comparison of the two editions but rather an “unbagging” of the Bonsai Games folio version.
Out-of-the-bag
I debated for a bit on how to enter the title for this game in my collection as Assault on Japan Ancestral: Kyushu 1945 (hereafter simply Kyushu 45) does not quite roll off the tongue. I ultimately decided to keep the name as-is in some part because the game is listed in the BoardGameGeek database under the Spanish title Asalto al Japón ancestral. Kyüshü 1945. At the time of this post I do not see the Bonsai Games version in the database; perhaps that is an action to me for this week.
Kyushu 45 covers the never-happed Invasion of Japan, in particular the southern “OLYMPIC” assault against Kyushu. As the Bonsai Games ad copy (translated using Grok AI) explains:
The United States, struggling with atomic bomb development, launched “Operation Olympic” in November 1945 against Japan, which had not accepted the Potsdam Declaration. The simulation Kyushu Invasion: Operation Olympic is the Japanese version of the Spanish wargame Asalto al Japón ancestral. Kyüshü 1945.
Each turn represents 5–7 days, each unit represents a regiment/brigade, and each hex covers approximately 7 km, recreating the U.S.-planned Kyushu invasion on the game board. Despite the U.S. military’s overwhelming strength, heavy casualties can fuel domestic war-weariness, making it difficult to sustain the operation. The Japanese forces aim to create such a situation through special attacks or desperate counteroffensives.
The cover for Kyushu 45 is derived from the Spanish Alea cover.
Unlike many bagged (“ziplock”) wargames, Kyushu 45 comes in a nice two-pocket folio for storage. I appreciate the nod Bonsai Games gives to the origin of the title which not only talks about Alea Magazine but also other games available in that edition.
Like many magazine or folio wargames the contents for Kyushu 45 are simple: a 20-page full color rulebook, two double-sided Player Aids, a single sheet of 198 counters (15mm or ~7/16″), and a quad-fold paper mapsheet.
The mapsheet for Kyushu 45 is arranged in a portrait manner measuring ~16.5″ x ~23 3/8″. Like many Bonsai Games maps the various tracks and boxes are laid out to support players sitting on opposite long edge sides of the map.
I look forward to getting this Bonsai Games folio edition of Assault on Japan Ancestral: Kyushu 1945 to my gaming table. That is, of course, after I translate the rulebook (pdf in Japanese online) and Player Aids. Fortunately, Generative AI tools are very helpful in translation. Sure, it takes some extra effort on my part to prepare to play but my past experiences with Bonsai Games folios that repackage previous non-Japanese designs (like NORAD) has been very positive so there certainly is motivation on my part to do the prep work.
Feature image courtesy RMN
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