Midway: Was a Japanese Invasion Possible?

No. Japan's strategic and tactical goal was never to capture Midway. Alaska was a one-off as well. The prime goal was to goad the US Navy into a set-piece surface confrontation. If you look at the makeup of the "invasion fleet" it was armed with primarily armor piercing ammo = anti ship. The troops were "enough" to have caused the garrison to phone for help, but had the garrison been prepared and defenses well sited (they were), the Japanese would have had their second ass-beating of the war.

Had Japan successfully sank both of our carriers (they were not expecting Yorktown), they'd have sortied by and mounted a bombardment. But invasion was not in the cards. At this point in time (historically) Japan is not over burdened with chance-takers in its officer corps. The destruction of the US Fleet would have succeeded and they'd have gone home.

Naturally I have never studied or researched such an idea, but initially, wonder if the Japs had any amphibious capability to support an operation of that sort?