Avoiding American targets might only delay U.S. entry

Could Japan attack only British and Dutch possessions and keep the United States out of the war?

It would make American entry harder to secure politically, but Roosevelt could still seek war in response to Japanese aggression against Western territories.

The answer separates congressional politics from the underlying strategic reaction to aggression. Roosevelt would face a harder task if no American territory were attacked. Even so, an assault on British and Dutch possessions would still be an expansion of war against Western interests and resource networks. The administration could plausibly seek entry, meaning Japan could not treat American neutrality as a dependable result of target selection alone.