Is there a Japanese Threat for peace in Asia?

After spending few weeks in Japan, I became quite worried at what Japanese International Polics may become in the near future.
Japan's Prime Minister, Mr Koizumi, will step down next week.
In pole position for his place, we find Mr Abe, an highly suspicious political figure who will try to reassert Japan's role in Asia with the use of force.

Mr Abe is planning to revise the Japanese Constitution. In particular, he's concerned with article 9 of that Constitution which has limited Japan's military interventions since the end of WW2.

In an interesting contribution to the New York Review of Books, Ian Buruma explains why Japan is still very much hated by China and North Korea; the move in the direction of Abe will not do much in the improvement of Sino-Korean-Japanese relationships.