We agree wholeheartedly, and I apologize for my imprecision where it seemed to denigrate Americans' ABILITY to understand. I intended only to show that, having not been raised to believe in their own racial or ethnic superiority, they cannot identify easily.
I don't think you can as an American comprehend the depth of racism and ethnocentrism in Japanese society until you've lived with them. That is not to say these people are inherently evil, but that sort of view of humanity lends itself to great abuse, and they seem as a country both unwilling to change and completely unhindered by their opposition to Western society's more egalitarian view of the value (and human status) of other races and peoples.
Rearming them would simply be asking for trouble...far more trouble than it would be worth. But I'm sure there will be plenty here that will disagree in the name of balancing the evils in the region, but I'd rather simply have one less evil, and be able to avoid worry about at one more country shooting us in the back.
"We agree wholeheartedly, and I apologize for my imprecision where it seemed to denigrate Americans' ABILITY to understand"
No apology necessary. I just wanted to make that explicit.
"Rearming them would simply be asking for trouble..."
Yes, but they are going to rearm. On the up side, a rearmed Japan might be enough of a speed-bump to give us some time to gear up for the next war, much as the Philippines and Japan's planned invasion of Australia gave us time in WWII.