AHC: "Japanese" Pirate Kingdoms

With a post-1521 POD, have the Wokou (the so-called "Japanese" pirates) found and/or take over independent states in the China Seas.

Lots of bonus points if they somehow manage to conquer a country that actually matters, and not something like the Ryukyus.
 
If they can muster the men and a navy, I could see a Japanese pirate-state on Taiwan. Esp. if it's Christian, given that Euros might be more well-disposed to its existence and survival.
 
If they can muster the men and a navy, I could see a Japanese pirate-state on Taiwan. Esp. if it's Christian, given that Euros might be more well-disposed to its existence and survival.
The wokou obviously had both, but the question would be why the pirates would settle Taiwan when they could just pillage the Chinese coast. This is an issue that any TL involving wokou states needs to resolve, in my opinion.

As for Christianity, a sizable wokou navy would be able to crush the Portuguese or the Spanish in the China Seas without much difficulty.
 
Hmm... would a few decades of strong Chinese coastal defense combined with Japanese political instability be enough to force the wokou to coalesce into more of a state actor somewhere?
 
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