While it’s a nice story, it’s not true. Japan did not have the sealift capacity or troops avalable to ever threaten Hawaii or the West Coast with more than an air raid.
The bulk of Japan’s Army was tied up in China, the few transports they had were moving troops to Malaya.
Japan got incredibly lucky in the first six months of the war. A little bit better performance by even one allied force in early 1942 would have put them in a world of hurt.
I’d say the critical error Japan made in WWII was the rape of Nanking. That act so horrified the American populace that our government then had to act in some way. It chose to restrict trade with Japan.
And the restriction in trade caused the Japanese military to start considering the US as a hostile power, which then led to Pearl Harbor.