Why allowing Japanese fortification could aid containment

Japan received neither its preferred fleet ratio nor freedom to strengthen many of its Pacific possessions. In this reading, that combination was strategically self-defeating: fixed defenses would have consumed Japanese resources without creating the offensive reach of ships or aircraft. Money sunk into coastal guns and island bases could not also fund the fleet or army, and an opponent could bypass many positions. Allowing stronger islands might therefore have supported a less humiliating compromise while still constraining Japan's ability to maneuver.