AHC: Japanese Phil and DEI

As said on tin, How do you make Japan have the Philippines and the Dutch East Indies, before World War 1 or its equivalent.
PoD must be as late as possible, and must change the outside as least as possible.
 
quick guess.

After First Sino Japanese War Japan feels confident to meddle in the big guys gardens. So after the US beats Spain the Japanese support the Fillipines in their struggle for independence - and stay after the US quits.

After they bet the Russians the Japanese use their Phillies bases to throw the Dutch out of the DEI (using the plea for assitance by some indigene Aristocrats as justification)

At this point they will lose the help of the Brits as they may think " we are next"
 
When the US declares war on Spain, Japan does too and beats the US to the Philippines. That may require an earlier POD though.
No clue on the DEI.
 
Lets say there is no Spanish-American war instead an Hispano-Japanese War, where Japan ends up with the Phil and other Pacific possessions.

How would you trigger a war between Japan and the Netherlands by then. and is it even plausible?
 
Err.... have proto-industrial technology from China flow to Japan, have it catch on there and improve throughout the 1500-1800's, then when Japan is the most industrially advanced nation on the planet... they can invade the Philippines and Indonesia.

Yep. Only way I see it happening.
 
Top