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King Kalākaua was (rightfully) quite concerned about Hawai'i being taken over by Western powers. In addition to his modernization campaigns, and his hopes for forming a broader Polynesian confederation, he proposed in 1882 to Emperor Meiji that Hawai'i and Japan merge into a pan-Asian union, sealed by intermarriage between their noble families. Japan declined, though Kalākaua continued to promote Hawai'ian-Japanese communication and immigration.

What would it take for the deal to go through? How would the United States react? Is there any chance of the US bungling their response enough to receive the sort of unpleasant surprise Russia did in OTL, and how would this affect the Pacific going forward?
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