With all due respect, that doesn’t make sense.
How could Japan build factories on round1 and round2 in response to USA going Pacific in the first two turns? That’s impossible, because Japan goes before the USA.
I always build a factory on round1 when I play Japan. What else are you going to build? Not like you need more transports since you already start with 5!
And don’t give me this “competent Japanese player” crap. I have been on the giving and receiving end several times, and usually Japan gets their butt kicked, because they’re trying to do two or more things at once, and the USA is just focused on dismantling Japan.
A competent Japan player cant lose to USA in the pacific. Japan starts with a bigger fleet, 9 fighters, gets way more money each turn than USA, and has preferential turn order. So how could Japan ever possibly lose to the USA assuming no mistakes are made? Unlike the USA Japan DOES get enough money to fight on two fronts (Japan is often high 50s or low 60s by end of round3). Japan can quite capably keep the USA at bay by building ships while pumping troops out of its mainland factories. It may take longer to mass forces against Russia but Germany can easily hold out if USA goes 100% pacific.