Not Economics
If it was about economics the Japanese would not be going to the states.
Next time you are in HNL have a look at the arrival board....5 flights a day arrive from Japan...full .
America has never been a cheap destination for the Japanese.They can however shop there and.... in the case of HNL.....they can swim there.
Australia has been marketed poorly and Qantas has been sending poor quality equipment up there for years.
Now they send an LCC carrier up there that no one has heard of.
The Japanese market requires a "brand" airline that delivers quality to quality destinations...Australia provides neither