You would probably see a greater interest in securing Singapore, Dutch East Indies and Philippines. Sadly, this would probably just cause the war to drag out longer. Japan still has to face the U.S. navy, and the army being free doesn't fix anything. If anything, Japan puts more troops on the islands, making the island hop campaign even slower. However, this could flip the thinking on the strategy and force the U.S. to find a different way to get to Japan. Isolating islands and starving the defenders out or getting Indian and Australian and New Zealand forces involved as well, or perhaps using even more overwhelming force to clear islands (drop a nuke on Midway).
Keep in mind, if the war goes longer, the USSR would definitely shift forces to the Far East and invade everything Japan holds in Asia.