tactics;  strategy;  military operation;  naval operation
 war;  fighting;  fierce competition
 war;  battle;  match;  game;  competition
 battlefield;  battleground
 soldier;  combatant;  warrior
 war potential;  military strength;  fighting power;  ability (to compete);  capabilities;  valuable asset
 challenge;  defiance;  dare;  attempt;  try
 combat;  battle;  action;  active service;  actual fighting
 tank (military vehicle);  chariot
 decisive battle;  deciding match;  play-off
 fighting (against);  taking on (an opponent);  facing;  confronting;  competing (with);  battle
 shudder;  shiver;  trembling with fear
 hard fight;  close game;  struggle;  tight contest
 war situation;  progress of a battle
 great war;  great battle;  world war
 participation in a war;  going to war;  taking part in a competition or contest
 watching a (sports) game;  spectating;  observing (military operations)
 postwar period;  period after Second World War
 declaration of war;  proclamation of war
 battle;  fight;  fighting;  engagement;  contest
 military gains;  war results;  fruit of battle
 strategy meeting;  council of war
 outbreak of war;  starting a war
 opponent;  adversary;  the competition;  the other side;  one's enemy
 fighting back;  returning fire;  counter-attack;  responding to an attack;  accepting a challenge
 comrade in arms;  war buddy;  fellow soldier
 championship game;  finals (of a tournament);  deciding round
 long military service;  having experienced many battles
 fierce battle;  hard-fought battle;  hot contest;  severe fight
 close combat;  close(-quarter) fighting;  in-fighting
 country in civil war;  country disarrayed by war;  Warring States period (Japan, China);  competiton in which there are several evenly-matched participants;  hotly-contested game (match, market, etc.)
 defeat;  lost battle;  losing a war
 military campaign;  battle;  war
 wartime fire;  war;  wartime destruction;  horrors of war
 combat readiness;  battle readiness;  fighting trim
 Warring States period (of Japanese history, approx. 1467-1568 CE);  Sengoku period;  Warring States period (of Chinese history, 403-221 BCE);  era of vicious competition
 spoils of war;  booty;  war trophy;  something one managed to obtain or buy (at a bargain sale, merchandise stall, etc.);  purchases;  prizes (at an arcade, etc.)
 state of the war;  war situation
 unable to fight (esp. in video games);  unconscious;  knocked out;  dead
 pre-war days;  before the war
 field battle;  field operations;  open battle;  battlefield;  battlefront
 challenging;  defiant;  provocative;  aggressive
 contest;  competition;  struggle;  scramble
 drawn-out (protracted) war or contest
 first match (in a series)
 cease-fire;  truce;  armistice
 first game;  first round (of tennis, etc.)
 end of war;  cessation of hostilities
 series of battles;  successive battles
 person killed in action;  the war dead
 large-scale operation;  large-scale campaign;  major mission
 firefight;  gun battle;  shoot-out
 PvP battle;  battle between human players (as opposed to AI)
 confused fight;  free-for-all;  melee;  close contest;  close match
 veteran;  battle-worn;  schooled by adversity in many battles;  rich in experience
 fighting a good fight;  putting up a good fight;  fighting bravely
 war criminal;  person responsible for a team's defeat
 title fight;  championship match
 trembling with fear;  filled with trepidation
 team competition;  team game
 hard fighting;  hard struggle;  fighting against heavy odds
 air battle;  dog fight;  aerial battle
 protracted war;  war of attrition
 individual match;  single game
 Second World War (1939-1945);  World War II;  WWII;  WW2
 mock cavalry battle;  piggyback fight
 final game;  final games;  the finals
 combat ship;  combat vessel
 warfare in which soldiers fling themselves at the enemy;  hand-to hand combat
 distinguished war service;  merit of war
 war area;  battlefield;  theater;  theatre
 regular game;  regular-season game
 decisive battle of brief duration
 war or military record;  score;  military achievements;  results
 deciding match;  play-off;  runoff
 time for battle;  military secrets;  strategy
 (preliminary) skirmish;  prelude;  preliminary encounter;  warm-up match (e.g. before a final)
 do-or-die resistance;  resistance to the bitter end
 common front;  united front
 noninclusion in a team;  not being chosen to play
 major war;  great war;  world war
 record of war;  war chronicle;  commentaries of war;  military history
 close contest;  close match;  close game;  close combat
 main theater of war;  principal battlefield
 rescue mission;  evacuation operation
 debut match;  debut fight;  debut race
 human-wave tactics;  throwing people at a problem
 street fighting;  urban warfare
 beginning of hostilities;  beginning of competition
 Russo-Japanese War (1904-5)
 extended game;  overtime;  extra time;  extra innings
 ready fire-power;  battle-ready forces;  immediate asset (to a team or firm);  someone who can be an immediately effective player or worker
 military service;  combat experience
 battle array;  battle formation;  battlefield
 (enter into, be in) a state of war
 First World War (1914-1918);  World War I;  WWI;  WW1
 losing one's fighting spirit;  losing the will to fight;  losing heart
 operation plan;  scheme of operations;  plan of campaign
 retry;  another try;  another go
 war damage;  ravages of war;  horrors of war
 leaving the front line;  retiring from the game;  deserting the battle
 battle station;  action stations
 Second World War (1939-1945);  World War II;  WWII;  WW2
 military history;  military annals
 encounter;  engagement;  battle
 temporary truce;  ceasefire
 to open hostilities;  to take up arms (against)
 closely contested constituency;  highly competitive marketplace; (fig.) battleground
 strategic withdrawal;  strategic retreat
 preparing for action or battle
 fighting in numerous battles
 theater of war (theatre);  sector
 First Sino-Japanese war (1894-1895)
 hundred battles;  many battles
 mopping-up operation;  search-and-destroy operation
 war renunciation;  anti-war;  bout cancelled due to absence of one of the wrestlers
 American Civil War (1861-1865)
 World War III;  Third World War
 Kellogg-Briand Pact (1928);  Pact of Paris
 rank-deciding competitions (e.g. in go or shogi)
 post-game analysis (go, chess, othello, etc.);  post mortem
 First World War (1914-1918);  World War I;  WWI;  WW1
 right to challenge;  right to make a challenge
 fierce fight;  close contest
 daimyo in the Warring States period
 always conducting oneself as though one were on a battlefield;  being combat ready at all times (of a person)
 first challenge;  first try
 repechage;  revival series
 first half of the game or match
 exhibition game;  friendly match;  friendly;  interleague game between the Central and Pacific baseball leagues
 professional go players' championship series;  professional shogi players' championship series
 military operation;  military tactics;  military strategy
 early post war period;  immediately after the war
 contest between two groups;  intra-squad game
 tournament;  knockout competition
 cheerleading competition;  cheering contest
 First World War (1914-1918);  World War I; (lit.) Great European War
 blitzkrieg;  lightning war
 air flotilla;  air fleet;  combat aviation unit of the Imperial Japanese Navy
 putting a plan into operation
 urging soldiers to fight more vigorously
 brave fight;  desperate fight
 to fight a battle;  to have a fight
 increasing one's fighting spirit
 event with ... rounds, innings, legs, etc.;  nth-round match (in a knockout tournament)
 community door-to-door campaign;  search operation;  cleaning campaign carried out thoroughly over an area
 battle dust;  the tumult of war
 war clouds;  threat of war
 Hundred Years War (1337-1453)
 guerrilla warfare;  unconventional warfare
 Greater East Asian War (1941-1945);  Pacific War
 regularly scheduled game;  regularly scheduled match
 hard fighting;  close contest
 opposing arcade machines wired together (for two-player games)
 sales battle;  business competition
 account of a (sports) game
 wartime regime;  war footing
 post-war recovery;  post-war reconstruction
 round-robin tournament;  round-robin competition
 war advocacy;  jingoism;  bellicose argument
 battle cruiser;  battlecruiser
 Boshin War (Japanese civil war between Imperial and shogunate forces; 1868-1869)
 examination war;  fiercely competitive university entrance examinations
 chaos of war;  war turmoil
 command group (behind the front lines)
 deployment of troops, equipment, etc. (in preparation for battle)
 deciding match (in a competition for a cup (pennant))
 corporate warrior (exceptionally dedicated and hard-working employee)
 warring nations;  belligerents
 Second Sino-Japanese War (1937-1945)
 persons who have fallen in battle
 strategic resources;  strategic materials
 Napoleonic Wars (1803-1815)
 war photographer;  combat cameraman
 mainland decisive battle (land battle envisioned late in World War II)
 turbulent (troubled) times;  turbulent war period
 superdreadnought (class of warships)
 opening game;  (season) opener
 war responsibility (esp. in relation to Japan's role in WWII)
 Battle of Okinawa (April, 1945)
 Thirty Years' War (1618-1648)
 Kōhaku Uta Gassen;  annual contest between male and female popular singers on New Year's Eve (sponsored and broadcast by NHK)
 win-loss records (between two participants)
 early stages (of a game);  opening phase
 death in battle;  killed in action
 international law in time of war
 economic warfare;  economic war
 Arab-Israeli Wars (1948, 1956, 1967, 1973)
 next match;  next game;  next contest
 know your enemy, know thyself, and you shall not fear a hundred battles
 pitching duel;  pitchers' battle
 Russo-German War (1941-1945)
 the Spring and Autumn period and the Warring States period (Chinese history)
 match between fighters of different sports;  battle involving two different disciplines
 conventional forces;  conventional military forces
 semifinal game of a tournament
 Battle of Midway (June 1942)
 operations (a strategy) on two fronts;  two-pronged strategy
 battle for Christmas sales
 air flotilla;  air fleet;  combat aviation unit of the Imperial Japanese Navy
 penalty shoot-out;  kicks from the penalty mark
 dreadnought (class of warships)
 exhibition game;  preseason game
 large-scale speculative go-around
 anniversary of the end of a war
 war experience;  experience of war;  memories of war
 long-term (business) strategy
 Seven Years' War (1756-1763)
 death from disease contracted at the front
 American War of Independence (1775-1783);  American Revolution
 strategy of holing oneself up in a castle (house, building)
 Battle of Hakodate (battle of the Boshin War; 1868-1869)
 quick battle for a quick victory;  blitzkrieg
 ever-victorious;  many successful campaigns;  invincibility
 field cap (used by Japanese troops in WWII)
 battle for sales at year-end;  year-end shopping season
 operation to win over someone by using a tactic of gentle persuasion
 anti-war argument;  pacifism
 failed at every attempt;  defeated in every (match, battle, etc.)
 snail's pace tactics;  walking extremely slowly when voting in the Diet to delay proceedings; (lit.) ox walk tactic
 victor;  victor troops;  conqueror
 tremor (muscular);  trembling;  shaking
 all-out war;  full-scale war
 Punic Wars (between Rome and Carthage)
 Anglo-Satsuma War (1863);  Bombardment of Kagoshima
 Burmese Wars (1823-1826, 1852-1853, 1885-1887)
 Spanish-American War (1898)
 shoreline protection or operations
 Great Patriotic War (Russian name for the war along the eastern front during World War II)
 Naval Battle off Malaya (December 10, 1941)
 fight outside the stadium;  fighting outside the ring
 brush;  clash;  encounter;  skirmish
 dogfight;  play-off with 3 wrestlers participating
 scorched-earth strategy (tactics)
 Austro-Prussian War (1866)
 conflict between a bride and her mother-in-law; (lit.) bride and mother-in-law war
 Third Arab-Israeli War (June 5-10, 1967);  Six-Day War
 championship-deciding contest;  final match;  the finals
 War of the Spanish Succession (1701-1714)
 Battle of Ueno (battle of the Boshin war; 1868)
 the Spring and Autumn period and the Warring States period (Chinese history)
 quarter-length game consisting of east round only
 return to the battle line;  come back to the game (on to the field);  a comeback
 (a) militant;  (a) belligerent
 Yom Kippur War;  fourth Arab-Israeli war (October 6-25, 1973)
 naval brigade;  naval land forces
 battle in the open;  battle on an open field
 tank destroyer;  self-propelled anti-tank gun
 Winter War (between Finland and the Soviet Union; 1939-1940)
 front;  first line;  spearhead
 Invasion of Normandy (June-July 1944);  Normandy Invasion
 Operation Barbarossa (1941)
 Russo-Japanese War (1904-5)
 fighting with all one's might;  fighting up against;  making strenuous efforts
 post-World War I depression;  depression of 1920-1921
 start day for military operation;  departure day;  D-Day
 combatant;  interested party in warfare;  warring nation;  belligerent
 war of defense;  war of defence;  defensive fight;  defensive warfare
 championship tournament;  finals
 economic strategy;  business strategy
 Waseda-Keio (baseball) game
 if you know your enemy and know yourself, in a hundred battles you will never be defeated;  know your enemy
 Chinese Civil War (1927-1937, 1946-1949)
 pincer operation (tactic)
 know your enemy, know thyself, and you shall not fear a hundred battles
 to take a firm stand;  to argue about
 Arrow War (the second Opium War; 1856-1860)
 Battle of the Philippine Sea (June 19-20, 1944)
 struggle for supremacy;  championship game
 landing ship, tank;  tank landing ship;  LST
 final vote;  run-off ballot
 interwar period (1918-1939)
 mud-slinging (e.g. in a political campaign);  mud-slinging match;  smear campaign;  mud wrestle
 antiterrorist operation;  counterterrorism operation
 First Sino-Japanese war (1894-5)
 demilitarized zone;  demilitarised zone;  DMZ
 (second) Boer War (1899-1902)
 Battle of Leyte Gulf (October 23-25, 1944)
 Operation Tomodachi;  United States Armed Forces assistance operation to support Japan in disaster relief following the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami
 (engaging in a round of) mutual criticism;  repeated attacks on each other
 rivalry over winning the right to host an event;  competition to lure (attract, invite) (institutions, manufacturing facilities, foreign tourists, etc.) to a locality
 field ration;  combat ration
 playoff for the tournament win with three wrestlers participating
 Seven Warring States (Chinese history);  Seven Kingdoms
 biological warfare;  bacteriological warfare;  germ warfare
 (second) Boer War (1899-1902)
 flame-throwing tank;  flame tank
 War of the Austrian Succession (1740-1748)
 Donghak Peasant Revolution (Korea; 1894-1895)
 (second) Boer War (1899-1902)
 belligerent communities;  armed resistance group
 war memorial;  memorial (monument) to war dead
 German Peasants' War (1524-1525)
 Franco-German War (i.e. the Franco-Prussian War, 1870-1871)
 Patriotic War (Russian name for the war with Napoleon in 1812)
 Asia-Pacific War (starting with the Manchurian Incident in 1931 and ending with the Japanese surrender in 1945);  Pacific War
 Second Sino-Japanese War (1937-1945)
 Great Northern War (1700-1721)
 struggle for supremacy between evenly-matched armies (teams)
 Battle of Dan-no-ura (final battle of the Genpei War; 1185)
 chaos on the roads; (lit.) traffic war
 (first) Indochina War (1946-1954)
 push-button war;  war started or ended with the push of a button (e.g. to launch a nuclear missile)
 Asia-Pacific War (starting with the Manchurian Incident in 1931 and ending with the Japanese surrender in 1945);  Pacific War; (lit.) fifteen years' war
 quarterfinal game of a tournament
 national strategic special zone
 class-B and class-C war criminals
 Russo-German War (1941-1945)
 Russo-Turkish War (1877-1878)
 Mexican-American War (1846-1848)
 Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty;  START
 Second Sino-Japanese War (1937-1945)
 three-dimensional warfare
 skirmish;  prefinals (in games)
 competitive lobbying;  rivalry in campaigning (for and against)
 Waseda-Meiji (baseball) game
 Hon'inbō Tournament (annual professional go competition);  Honinbo Tournament
 Conventional Armed Forces in Europe;  CFE
 war communism (Russia, 1918-1921);  military communism
 Sacred Wars (of Ancient Greece)
 Continuation War (between Finland and the Soviet Union; 1941-1944)
 game or series of games between the first and second place teams
 exposure tactics;  muckraking tactics
 battle for sales at year-end;  year-end shopping season
 theater missile defense (defence);  TMD
 Sino-French War (1884-1885)
 Anglo-Dutch Wars (1652-1654, 1665-1667, 1672-1674)
 Iran-Iraq War (1980-1988)
 French and Indian War (1754-1763)
 Mexican-American War (1846-1848)
 Spanish-American War (1898)
 intermediate-range nuclear forces
 tactical operations center;  tactical operations centre
 skirmish;  prefinal (in games)
 Six-Day War (June 5-10, 1967);  Third Arab-Israeli War
 strategy for dealing with China
 Rikkyo-Meiji (baseball) game
 match-up between wrestlers from different divisions who will probably 'switch' divisions in new ranking
 Sino-Vietnamese War (1979)
 combat electronic warfare intelligence
 war-risk insurance;  war insurance
 go-slow tactics (of Japanese railway workers)
 forward edge of the battle area
 the three guardian deities in time of war (Marici, Mahakala and Vaisravana)
 Three Alls Strategy (Japanese scorched earth policy during the second Sino-Japanese War)
 salami tactics (divide and conquer process of threats and alliances used to overcome opposition)
 price war;  cutthroat competition
 tactical air control center (centre)
 Operation Ketsugō (Japanese military plan for responding to the Allied invasion of the homeland)
 distribution strategy;  channel strategy
 explosive remnants of war;  ERW
 War of the Triple Alliance (1864-1870);  Paraguayan War
 bonus-time sales offensive
 strategic information system;  SIS
 interleague game between the Central and Pacific baseball leagues
 Meiji 27-28 Campaign (alternate name for the First Sino-Japanese war; 1894-1895)
 (crime of) preparations or plots for private war
 Anglo-Burmese Wars (1823-1826, 1852-1853, 1885-1887)
 Italo-Turkish War (1911-1912)
 Anglo-Dutch Wars (1652-1654, 1665-1667, 1672-1674)
 Sikh Wars (1845-1846, 1848-1849)
 Cod Wars (conflicts between the United Kingdom and Iceland regarding fishing rights (1958, 1971, 1975))
 Russo-Turkish War (1877-1878)
 Turko-Egyptian Wars (1831-1833; 1839-1840)
 Anglo-Mysore Wars (1766-1799)
 Anglo-Maratha Wars (1777-1783, 1803-1805, 1817-1818)
 Lapland War (between Finland and Germany; 1944-1945)
 hybrid warfare;  hybrid war
 battlefield air interdiction
 (baseball) game between Waseda and Tokyo universities
 evolutionarily stable strategy;  ESS
 memorial service for the war dead
 Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe;  CFE
 war of national liberation
 Economic Strategy Council
 slowdown strategy;  go-slow tactics (of workers in a labor dispute)
 infantry fighting vehicle
 strategic reciprocity;  mutually beneficial relationship based on common strategic interests
 leave-taking tactics;  many employees taking paid leave at the same time as a form of industrial action
 putting up a good fight against some odds
 Foreign Intervention in Russia (1917-1922)
 war-risk insurance;  war insurance
 obstructive tactics;  harassing tactics
 tactics of fighting a technologically advanced adversary with primitive weapons;  sole reliance on simple determination (naive spiritualism) in fighting an overwhelming foe
 tactical air control party
 Italo-Turkish War (1911-1912)
 German Peasants' War (1524-1525)
 Trans-Pacific Partnership;  Trans-Pacific Strategic Economic Partnership Agreement;  TPP
 Anglo-Burmese Wars (1823-1826, 1852-1853, 1885-1887)
 trembling with fear;  filled with trepidation