A joconde is nothing like japonaise or dacquoise. To verify my earlier guess, I did manage to locate my stinky old J&W notebook. The japonaise torte consisted of the almond meringue (Swiss, as you had mentioned, bighat), layered with mocha buttercream and whipped cream. The entire cake is finished with mocha buttercream and ground almonds, finished with a marzipan plaque.
A dacquoise is any nut meringue that is layered with buttercream and/ or whipped cream. Therefore, a japonaise torte is a dacquoise.
A joconde is a thin, flexible almond cake. It does contain whipped whites, but it also contains whole eggs, and butter, as cape and bighat have discussed.
I have never had a problem with mine being too sticky. What is your formula, bighat? And what is the final result like?
Thanks to all for making me get my J&W book. I needed a re-education on Japonaise.