Pacific fortification limits and Japanese insecurity

Britain and the United States retained stronger regional bases, while Japan could not fortify islands gained from Germany during the First World War. Many island positions could be bypassed operationally, but their vulnerability still mattered politically and emotionally. The settlement made Japan's wartime gains feel revocable because another power could seize them without facing a serious local cost. The revised clause permits modernization within each base's existing area, requires full disclosure, and allows defensive weapons up to eight-inch cruiser caliber. An attacker would face a meaningful obstacle, without giving Japan unlimited room to expand its bases.