alternatehistory.com

It is a well established fact the key reason why the Japanese invaded southeast Asia was because they needed the oil and other resources to continue their war in China. The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbour and the Philippines were a complete waste of time and only resulted in them awakening the "sleeping giant" of the United States.

So I got to thinking that if the Japanese confined their operations in southeast Asia to seizing the Dutch East Indies (one of the largest oil producing regions in the world at the time) they could've avoided a war with the United States, forced the British to deploy desperately needed troops and equipment to Malaya and elsewhere for an invasion that was never going to happen so the Germans would be happy, and provide their war machine in China with the raw materials they so desperately needed.

An occupied Dutch East Indies would've severely restricted the British ability to trade in the region and given the Japanese a huge strategic advantage in any post war settlement.

What do you say?
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