ABDA without an American war

Japan can use Kido Butai for force protection and to hunt Force Z because the carrier force remains intact. ABDA Command had been discussed before the Pacific war, but American participation rested on structures that assumed a common enemy and shared belligerency. If Japan leaves American territory alone, US naval forces cannot simply join British and Dutch combat operations. Washington also lacks a large local force with which to intervene independently. American entry would require political argument over initiating a war rather than responding to a direct attack, leaving the early Allied coalition weaker.