How naval treaties might have increased the risk of war

Is there a credible case that the naval treaties helped cause the Second World War?

Yes. Treaty limits made the US fleet seem attainable to Japan, while unrestricted US and British construction might have produced stronger deterrence.

A credible argument holds that interwar treaties contributed to the conditions for war. The limits placed the United States Navy close enough to Japanese strength for planners to imagine a successful opening blow. Without limits, the American and British industrial bases could probably have outbuilt every regional competitor by the later 1920s. Competition between those two powers might then have shifted toward technology and modest classes rather than a Japanese attempt to overturn the balance by force.