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Peter Van Buren
For Peter Van Buren's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 14, 2018
Anonymous insider Trump resisters are not heroes
The peoplpe inside government who believe America is at motral risk should do something more than gossip to a celebrated journalist.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 12, 2018
What critics of North Korea summit get wrong
Diplomacy — the alternative to war — is the messy business of meeting adversaries, not ignoring them.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 25, 2017
Look for Tehran to emerge dominant in post-IS Middle East
The changing balance of power in the Middle East threatens to leave the U.S. on the sidelines.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 4, 2016
U.S. still gets it wrong on IS
Islamic States' shift to suicide-bombing tactics should not be taken as a sign that the terrorist group's power is declining.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
May 29, 2016
A-bombs taught U.S. how to justify attacks abroad
The nuclear attack on Hiroshima set in motion a sweeping, national generalization that if Americans do it, it is right.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 10, 2016
Time to redraw the map of the Middle East
The Middle East map should to redrawn to reflect current ethnic, tribal, religious and political realities.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 10, 2016
How the Saudi king benefits from cleric's death
By beheading of Shiite cleric Nimr al-Nimr, Saudi King Salman is sending a message to adversaries at home and abroad.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jul 22, 2015
Japan's fading pacifism leaves Japanese worried
Shinzo Abe is a politician who found himself powerful enough to act on his own ideas, apart from what many feel are his nation's legitimate security needs.
COMMENTARY / World
May 13, 2015
What can Obama salvage from Arab summit?
President Barack Obama must try to convince the Gulf Cooperation Council that the U.S. has an Iran policy that encompasses their security needs.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Apr 28, 2015
How far is Japan willing to go to back the United States?
What was once America's most stable relationship in Asia is moving into the category of "it's complicated."

Longform

A statue of "Dragon Ball" character Goku stands outside the offices of Bandai Namco in Tokyo. The figure is now as recognizable as such characters as Mickey Mouse and Spider-Man.
Akira Toriyama's gift to the world