There are japanese intellectuals and an entire in a political history in Japan arguing that this should be what japan does, lead the region. They competed with the west for a place at the imperialist table and a slice of the chinese melon. The missing ingredient for all of those peoples that were under the colonial thumb is some sort of military that could fight off a military from the great powers. And just sad, everyone can join right now.
The Asia-Pacific War of 1937-1945 has deep roots. It also involves a Japanese society that's been called one of the most distinctive on Earth. If there were a Japanese version of Captain America, this would be his origin story.