Tsingtao-war escorts and Japanese geography

If a January 1939 Tsingtao incident led to war, would longer distances and Japanese air power require the Royal Navy to build stronger escort air-defense ships?

The escort demand would differ from the Atlantic because Britain could blockade from Singapore and the South China Sea, while Japan lacked the later infrastructure for many island offensives in early 1939.

Geography shapes the escort problem in this 1939 counterfactual. German submarines could reach Atlantic convoy routes, while Britain might block Japan from Singapore, the South China Sea, and Southeast Asia. Japanese island-offensive forces and infrastructure were not yet in place, so the Royal Navy's escort and anti-aircraft needs would not mirror the later Pacific War.