Without averting the Empire declaring war on the U.S., Britain, et el in early December 1941, and no PoDs prior to July of said year (when the decision was made) -- what is the most that the empire of Japan can plausibly hope to achieve? (That is, militarily, politically, and/or in growing their empire?) And how do they achieve this?
(Note: nothing in this OP requires Japan to "win" the war, so just saying "Japan will lose" isn't an answer.)