# Nippon: Zaibatsu

Nippon: Zaibatsu is a board game for 1–4 players. It plays in 60–120 minutes and is meant for ages 12 and up. Ludoya players call it best with 4. It is rated 8.1 out of 10 by 24 Ludoya reviewers. The cheapest copy in stock is $74.99 (United States).

- **Players:** 1–4 (best with 4)
- **Playing time:** 60–120 minutes
- **Minimum age:** 12+
- **Complexity:** 3.6 out of 5
- **Year published:** 2026
- **Categories:** Economic, Industry / Manufacturing
- **Mechanics:** End Game Bonuses, Worker Placement, Variable Set-up, Worker Placement, Different Worker Types, Contracts, Income, Area Majority / Influence, Solo / Solitaire Game, Open Drafting
- **Ludoya rating:** 8.1 out of 10, from 24 reviews
- **Owned by:** 73 Ludoya players
- **Plays logged on Ludoya:** 172
- **Unique players:** 258

**Designers:** Nuno Bizarro Sentieiro, Paulo Soledade

**Artists:** Maya Kurkhuli

**Publishers:** CrowD Games

## Where to buy in United States

| Shop | Price | Link |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Cardhaus Games | 74.99 $ | https://www.cardhaus.com/nippon-zaibatsu-emperor-s-edition/ |
| Mathom | 66 € | https://mathom.es/es/otros-juegos-de-tablero/60656-nippon-zaibatsu-8436623242978.html |
| Rampi Games | 67.5 € | https://www.rampigames.com/juego-de-mesa/nippon-zaibatsu/ |
| 4Dados | 75 € | https://www.4dados.es/producto/nippon-zaibatsu/ |
| Outlet Games | 57.22 € | https://www.outletgames.es/juegos-de-mesa/maldito-games/nippon-zaibatsu-p-MDG-8436623242978.html |
| Spelexperten | 679 kr | https://www.spelexperten.com/sallskapsspel/strategispel/nippon-zaibatsu.html |
| Juegos de la Mesa Redonda | 63.71 € | https://juegosdelamesaredonda.com/19029-nippon-zaibatsu-castellano-8436623242978.html |
| Zatu Games | 55.75 £ | https://zatu.com/products/nippon-zaibatsu |
| Dungeon Marvels | 67.5 € | https://dungeonmarvels.com/nippon-zaibatsu-castellano-97932.html |
| Zacatrus | 67.5 € | https://zacatrus.es/nippon-zaibatsu.html |
| La Gameria | 67.95 € | https://gameria.es/juegos-de-mesa/nippon-zaibatsu-20263.html |
| Gameology | 109.45 $ | https://www.gameology.com.au/products/nippon-zaibatsu |
| Alphaspel | 799 kr | https://alphaspel.se/491-bradspel/347189-nippon-zaibatsu-retail-edition-en |
| Hyggeonkel | 569.95 kr | https://www.hyggeonkel.dk/produkt/nippon-zaibatsu |
| Games Empire | 135.99 $ | https://gamesempire.com.au/products/nippon-zaibatsu |
| Fantasiapelit | 92.6 € | https://www.fantasiapelit.com/index.php?main=ai&kat=single&mista=indeksi&etsittava=_245002 |
| Nexus | 12995 kr | https://nexus.is/vara/nippon-zaibatsu-emperors-edition/ |

## Expansions

- [Nippon: Genro](https://www.ludoya.com/games/nippon-genro)

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## Rules questions

### Can I spend silk as money anytime on my turn, or only during an action?

Yes — at any moment on your turn you may spend 1 silk to gain 1 green money any number of times (silk can also be spent to temporarily boost R&D when building a Factory). (p. 8)

### Do I have to take a Worker before I pay for or perform an action, and what if I can’t pay for it?

You must choose the action and take a Worker first, and you may not choose an action if you cannot perform it at least once; additionally you must pay the action in full and may not use resources gained during that action to pay for it. (p. 8)

### Can I spend silk or R&D tokens to meet a Factory’s R&D requirement when building it?

Yes — you may spend silk (1/3/6) to temporarily increase your R&D level by 1/2/3 when building a Factory, and the rules also note you may spend 1/3/6 R&D tokens for the same temporary increase. (p. 8, p. 10)

### When placing Influence via Local Markets, can I place tokens that don’t match the Goods’ level, and can I replace my own tokens?

You may not place Influence tokens that don’t match the level of the Goods, but you may replace your own Influence tokens (even ones you just placed) to gain region bonuses; follow the Local Market space limits and replacement rules for 2/3-player games. (p. 16)

### What exactly happens when I make a Consolidation — do I keep my green resources and black cubes?

During Consolidation you must discard all green resources and black cubes, then take a Favor token, gain Department bonuses and Income according to your Workers and levels, pay salaries, and return Workers as specified. (p. 17)

### Do Trains always count as Influence in a Region, or only sometimes?

Trains grant their owner influence in a Region only if that player has at least one Influence token in that Region during scoring; otherwise those Trains grant no Influence. (p. 12, p. 18)

## Links

- [This page](https://www.ludoya.com/games/nippon-zaibatsu)
- [Nippon: Zaibatsu in the Ludoya app](https://app.ludoya.com/g/nippon-zaibatsu)
- [BoardGameGeek entry](https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/434367)

_Data from Ludoya, updated 2026-09-19. Ratings, ownership and play counts are Ludoya's own._