Japan is one of playable civilizations in Rise of Kingdoms and is available in the Civilization Selection main menu upon creation of a new account. Players also can switch to Japan at any given time as long as they have Civilization Change token available.
Nationality: Japan
Trait 1:
+3% Troop Attack
Trait 2:
+30% Scout March Speed
Trait 3:
+5% Gathering Speed
Civilization Popularity Ranking:
11 out of 11
Unique Unit: Samurai
Japan Summary:
- All troops attack increases by 3%.
- Scout moves 30% faster.
- Gather all resources 5% faster.
Why Japan is the Best Civilization?
- Japan is best for early games due to faster scouting speed.
- Harvest resources faster to help jumpstart your empire.
- All troops deal 3% more damage.
Background Information

Japan was characterized by the emergence and dominance of the ruling classes of warriors, known as Samurais. In the following Genpei War, Minamoto No Yoritomo was appointed as the Shogun.
In 1192, Minamoto established a feudal military government in Kamakura. After his death, the Hojo clan came to power as regents for the Shoguns. Buddhism was introduced as a new religion from China and quickly became popular among the Samurai class.
Mongols had made several incursions in Japan’s territory in 1274 and 1281. However, Emperor Go-Daigo was defeated by Ashikaga Takauji in 1336 who reigned in 1336 to 1573.
Japan’s culture flourished, Buddhism was convened. and there was a period of peace. But in 1467, the Onin war began in what is known as the Warring States (Sengoku Period) in modern history.
Introduction
Welcome to our Rise of Kingdoms civilization guide for Japan. If you are looking for the best Japan civilization guide so that you can get up to speed. Then you have come to the right place, because in our best Japan civilization guide we will cover all the basics that you need to know about this nation.
Japan is one of the most fun civilizations to play in Rise of Kingdoms. Mainly because it is the only civilization that will give you a huge head start on gathering intelligence of your kingdom. Basically, it’s like standing behind the Iron Curtain while you can monitor your entire kingdom with ease. In a sense, Japan plays the game differently compared to Germany, France and Arabia.
Your starting commander is Kusunoki Masashige and he is pretty good once you get used to his abilities. However, to play as Japan, you need to understand how to use these traits to your advantage and most importantly, the unique units which become available for training at Tier 4. Stick around with us to learn more about this amazing civilization.
Best Japan Traits
In this section, we will talk about Japan traits. As you can see, Japan plays the game differently compared to other civilizations in Rise of Kingdoms. As opposed to attacking and defending, you just scout around the map to gather intelligence. These knowledge is especially important in alliance wars. But so is gathering and improved attack bonus.
Trait 1
Increases troop attack by 3% that applies to infantry, archers, cavalry and siege units. Basically a blanket bonus to all troops.
Trait 2
Increases the scout march speed by 30%, making your scouts run around on the map faster. Good for revealing fog early in the game.
Trait 3
Improves the gathering rate for the commanders by 5%. Works well with these gathering commanders.
Best Japan Unique Units
Japan’s unique unit is Samurai, a reowned infantry unit during the Feudal age. Samurai becomes available for training at Tier 4 which can be done via researching technology in your Research Center. Samurai has one of the best attack stats in Rise of Kingdoms, which makes them an ideal choice for launching offensive attacks.
Samurai

![]() Attack: 202 | ![]() Defense: 192 | ![]() Health: 187 |
![]() Speed: Slow | ![]() Load: 13 | ![]() Power: 4 |
Elite Samurai

![]() Attack: 232 | ![]() Defense: 212 | ![]() Health: 216 |
![]() Speed: Very Slow | ![]() Load: 15 | ![]() Power: 10 |
Best Japan Commanders
Japan has one of the biggest commanders in the game. In fact there are 5 commanders who are associated with Japan. As mentioned previously, Kusunoki Masashige is your starting commander and she excels at defending your city against enemy invasions. Those legendary commanders also can be unlocked via chests and special events.
Best Japan Tips & Tricks
Playing as Japan can be really fun once you get the hang of it. But if you want to get the most out of this civilization, I recommend you to follow these tips and tricks so that you can get ahead in Rise of Kingdoms. Below are our tips & tricks that you can use to your advantage.
Tip 1: Scout Early
The 30% march speed for scouts is amazing. But did you know that if you scout the entire map, you can get that 10 golden keys for free via Monument? Yeah, so that 30% march speed bonus is pretty critical since you can easily lift fog less in time.
Tip 2: Use Your Gathering Commanders
One of Japan’s traits gives you a 5% gathering speed bonus and it is nice because it speeds up with all resources like food, wood, stone, gold and even gems. So, you will want to use that bonus with your gathering commanders to speed up the time. Pretty good for a mini farming account too!
Tip 3: Set a Trade Post
Unless you plan on having Japan as your main civilization, it is a decent choice for a farming account. So, you will want to set up a trade post and have it in the same alliance as your main account. Have your farming account decked out with some serious punchers so that they can loot some of the resources and ship it to your main account. You also will want to farm all the time since the 5% gathering speed bonus is nice to have.
Conclusion of Japan Civilization Guide

As we come to the conclusion of our best Japan civilization guide for beginners. You have learned more about its traits, unique units, commanders, and tips & tricks in detail.
If you are thinking of playing as Japan after the minute you download Rise of Kingdoms on your mobile device or as your next civilization in a new game. You will have no problem trailblazing playing as Japan.
Lastly, if you have any suggestions or tips that you have for playing as this civilization, drop an e-mail to us via our contact page. Happy ruling, Governor!