Should the US be concerned about Japan's military revival?

@_@

After being stationed in Japan for about a year and a half and working closely with both the Japanese Ground Self Defense Forces (JGSDF) and the Japanese Maritime Self Defense Forces (JMSDF), I am not concerned at all with their "military revival." In fact, I encourage it to a certain extent. Their military is tiny compared to their neighbors (China mainly) and they know they are almost completely dependant upon the US for their national defense. My conclusion was that they simply want to be better able to defend themselves and their vital shipping lanes. This has become a growing concern for Japan because the US military capabilities and the political will to defend Japan is less certain than it was before. Our relationship with the Japanese government is excellent and in my experience the Japanese people generally love us. I do not see this as a threat to the US, but more as a response to China's growing naval capabilities in the region. Japan has very few options right now if China ever decided to land troops on disputed islands or block shipping lanes in the South China Sea. They don't want to be completely dependant upon us for their national defense, and I can respect that. China should be far more concerned than the US should be. But the Japanese people hate war and are politically non-confrontational in general, so I would not be concerned much at all.

concerned and vigilant