I agree for more than just the financial reasons.
A Pac Strategy is SOOO easy in this game to pull off, even a rookie can do it! (With the Allies.) Japan literally cannot be everywhere with it’s navy at once like it could in Classic and (to a lesser extent) revised. Too many new sea zones let you hide your fleet around. If Japan splits up to protect all avenues of approach (notice that they would have to move into range of your fleet to block you after starting out of range) then you can focus your firepower to destroy their smaller fleet(s).