in an effort to....
destroy pertinent American fleet units, then preventing the Pacific Fleet from interfering with Japanese conquest of the Dutch East Indies and Malaya and to enable Japan to conquer Southeast Asia without interference.
The main thing is because Britain possessed the factories and other key factors of production. The agricultural and rural societies were transformed into urban and before the Industrial revolution the manufacturing was done in people's home and after that it was largely done in factories and the products were mass produced.
The answer to your question is.... Ireland.