Is there a way we can get America to not get involved? I mentioned an early Alliance with Britan, but is there a way for America to not care? Would there also be a way to take Hawaii, and still have the First Sino-Japanese war? I thought Japan had a lot of Japanese in Japan already, so it wouldn't be Japan taking over a Completely alien population.
Very difficult. After the Civil War, the US was already looking to influence the Pacific and started taking islands left and right to establish bases. Hawaii is the biggest chain of islands closest to the CONUS and also smack dab in the middle of the Pacific. The United States needed a strong presence in the Pacific because of Alaska and growing American interests in Asia. Also, Hawaii had some fertile soil that allowed planters to grow tropical fruits and other crops that couldn't be planted in the CONUS.
It would be
incredibly difficult for America to ignore Hawaii. The only POD I can think of is if America has a bloodier Civil War, doesn't purchase Alaska, and the latter half of the 20th century is spent on domestic issues. Even then, Hawaii would eventually become a point of interest by American businessmen.
If Japan took Hawaii, they would need to tremendously expand their navy and strain logistics to maintain Hawaii. They don't have any Pacific islands except Okinawa. If Japan takes Hawaii through war, they would need to leave a substantial amount of troops to occupy the Hawaiian Islands, mainly to secure it from natives and also to protect it from potential foreign powers. The First Sino-Japanese War might happen, but it might result in a defeat instead of a victory, allowing China and the foreign powers to dictate terms.
In 1894, they had around 15,000 Japanese civilians out of a population of 94,000. But the majority of the population was Hawaiian or White. If Japan took Hawaii, there is no doubt that the whites living in Hawaii would not be... pleased with Japan's sudden appearance, so they may appeal to the United States and elsewhere to intervene.