WWII Japan

>>1432427
they lived in shit poverty and their industry was small, it was just that unlike Italy they weren't immediately surrounded by powerful countries.

>>1432427
>How did they live and how did they strive so well.
They fucking didn't.

>>1432427
>muh emperor

Defensive and terrain advantage + the logistics of fighting a war in the Pacific Islands

They were a shit terrible army and poorly equipped but lasted as long as they did because they made a land grab for a pile of shitty inhospitable islands that were hellish to attack for a conventional force.

Nips weren't allowed to surrender, the emperor demanded that they sit in their holes eating moldy rice on every single shitty rock between the US and Nippon and fight until they fire their last bullet and then kill themselves.

The logistics of getting troops and supplies in and out of these places for the US was terrible, thus the Japs lasted much longer than they had any right to.

>>1432704
They seemed to BTFO southeast asia pretty decently. Would've done better had the US not embargo'd them for no reason.