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Germany had a desire for the Philippines. Let's say the US doesn't bother taking the islands during the Spanish-American War and the indebted Spanish sell the place to the Germans. The Germans proceed to spend a decade or so asserting authority over the islands.

Flash-forward to WWI, and Japan grabs the Philippines.

Might this satiate Japanese expansionism? Asserting authority over and modernizing the archipelago would be a time-intensive and costly endeavor.
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