Jellicoe's review of the Dominions and their defences in 1920 actually predicted Japans move into South East Asia and their annexation of Malaya and the Dutch East Indies. While no one was willing to pay for the forces Jellicoe believed were required to stem a Japanese move it was seen as a serious threat and considerable planning, both pre and post Washington Treaty, was put into how to delay such an expedition until sufficient forces could be swung from the Mediterranean to drive them back. The single biggest investment was the new facilities at Singapore, specifically to provide a base outside Japans reach, from which to retake Hong Kong (which they believed they could not defend).
This is where the Large / Super Cruisers (think Curious and Outrageous) came in, with their high speed, big guns, MTBs on davits, and float plane torpedo planes came in (pre Washington), as well as the original thinking behind the heavy cruisers, their rapid firing guns (in fact the RNs desire for high rates of fire at high angles) and ever increasing aviation facilities came from. Post Washington it was realised they wouldn't have enough carriers or battleships to adequately protect their far east interests so having heavy cruisers with a superior rate of fire and as many cruiser based fighters and torpedo bombers as possible became a priority. This was to interdict, harass and slow the IJN until the Mediterranean Fleet could redeploy.
This was also the origin of the Ark Royal and her massive aircraft complement, much of which was to be spare aircraft to support extended operations far from home. It was also the origins of Vanguard, a fast battleship for the Far East, as well as the battle cruisers planned by the Dutch. Japans answer of course was to wait until all the reserve / swing forces they would normally expect to be deployed against them were tied up in the war against Germany.
