Simplify the following text for a Grade 8 native English-speaking person.
Original: After the fall of Saipan , the Japanese high command predicted that the Allies would try to capture the Philippines , which were strategically important because of their location between the oilfields of Southeast Asia and Japan .
Simplified: After the fall of Saipan , the Japanese commanders knew that the Allies would try to capture the Philippines next . The Philippines were very important because they were located between the oil fields of Southeast Asia and Japan .