Japanese troops have just arrived en masse to California's Southern coast...for a very different purpose than they did historically. The Japanese troops will converge in California with American troops in an unprecedented training program.

Over the next two weeks, the Japanese troops and the U.S. military will join in a training to improve Japan's amphibious attack abilities.

China may not be happy about the training of Japan's Self-Defense Force; tensions between China and Japan over islands claimed by both countries have been mounting. China recently sent government ships into Japanese territorial waters to "safeguard" their sovereignty over the uninhabited islands they call Diaoyutai, and Japan calls the Senkaku Islands. The islands, which are controlled by Japan and claimed by China, were the subject of violent protests last year in China after Japan nationalized them.

The Japanese troops' training in California is ostensibly to respond better from crises like natural disasters, but "it's another dot that the Chinese will connect to show this significant expanding military cooperation," said Tai Ming Cheung, an analyst of Chinese and East Asian security affairs.

China asked the U.S. and Japan to scratch the training, which will begin tomorrow, Tuesday, June 11. They declined, and the troops have already arrived in California. Officials have not formally confirmed or denied whether China made an official request to cease the training.

While China may not approve, military officials say other countries will support the move. "If the 20th century taught us anything, it is that when democracies are able and willing to defend themselves it preserves peace and stability," said Col. Grant Newsham, Marine liaison to the Japanese military. "Most Asian countries welcome -- even if quietly stated -- a more capable (Japanese force) that is also closely allied to U.S. forces."

Japan, which traditionally has a strong navy but weak amphibious capabilities, has been buying equipment and landing craft in response to China's growing military acquisitions. They'll send three warships, 1,000 service members, and four combat helicopters to the training, dubbed the Dawn Blitz exercise; troops from New Zealand and Canada will join them.

The training is important to help Japan learn to defend itself and respond to natural disasters in the wake of U.S. budget cuts. U.S. Marines who helped with rescue operations along Japan's tsunami-devastated coast following the 2011 earthquake are decreasing their presence in the area. The region has also been rocked with territorial disputes between China and its neighbors and with North Korean long-range rocket and nuclear tests.