Historically the only Japanese oversea expansion before Meiji was in Ryukyu. Although so-called Japanese Pirates had some islands on the Chinese coastline, ethnic Chinese usually comprised the vast majority of the pirate gangs.
People like Hideyoshi, with their strong pursuit for glory, only aimed at conquering Corea (and failed), without even the slightest intension to colonize Taiwan or The Southeast Asian isles.
This was not because the Japanese lacked knowledge of the region. Many Japanese artifacts are unearthed in the region, and the Japanese had world maps since 1600s.
Was it demographic that prevented Japanese oversea expansions? Or was it because of competition from the oversea Chinese? Or rather they lacked incentives?
.
Could more Japanese expansions happen in the fashion Satsuma annexed Ryukyu? Say the victims are the Malay isle states.
It can either be the daimyos doing this or the shogunate itself