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Peter Apps
For Peter Apps's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 15, 2018
Why Kim Jong Un wanted the Korea talks
Pyongyang appears to be pursuing a deliberate and increasingly successful strategy to drive a wedge between Washington and South Korea.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 2, 2018
What to watch in 2018
Here are some of the key themes — and questions — that look set to shape global events this year.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 16, 2017
The truth behind the U.S. show of force in Asia
America's global commitments have left its military overstretched.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 20, 2017
Brace for the coming robot arms race
Even if mankind can avoid a nuclear apocalypse, the coming AI and robotic revolution may prove an equal existential challenge.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / ANALYSIS
Aug 15, 2017
What Kim Jong Un hopes to gain from nuclear game plan
On October 3, 1942 — 75 years ago this year — a prototype German V-2 rocket launched from the German military firing range at Peenemunde in the Baltic reached an altitude of 84.5 km (52.5 miles). It was, by some definitions, the first human-built object in space.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 26, 2017
The dangers of putting Putin under pressure
Recent anti-corruption protests have provided Russian President Vladimir Putin a reminder that no leader can remain in power forever.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 28, 2017
Chaos and confusion, but some foreign policy wins for Trump
The Trump White House has done better than expected in handling some crises, but it has developed the alarming habit of turning to military force as a first resort.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 20, 2017
Biological super weapons could define the next era
Evolving technologies and genetic engineering may open the door to new dangers.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 13, 2017
U.S. must walk dangerous line to manage Syria, North Korea crises
The Syrian and North Korean crises both bisect Washington's relations with its two top geopolitical rivals — Russia and China — and neither offers an easy solution.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 6, 2017
Worrying lessons of the Syria chemical attack
The Syrian civil war appears to be reestablishing the precedent that on occasion governments may be able to use chemical weapons against their own people without suffering much in the way of consequences.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 30, 2017
For Britain, the real work on Brexit starts now
On Wednesday, British Prime Minister Theresa May began Britain's exit from the European Union by invoking Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 27, 2017
U.S. has no good military options against Kim
How to describe American military options in North Korea? Bad and worse.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 15, 2017
Europe's state of uncertainty
Now is an uncomfortable time to be a European.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 3, 2017
Is Beijing outflanking U.S. in South China Sea?
Beijing's military buildup is part of its strategy to dominate many disputed territories in the South China Sea — and push America back.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 26, 2016
Yes, 2016 was bad — and 2017 could be worse
This has been a complicated year. Don't count on 2017 being any easier.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 25, 2016
Why Putin is unleashing his only aircraft carrier
A Russian carrier conducting strike operations in the Mediterranean doesn't just reassert Moscow's power, it further complicates the world's geopolitics. And that's precisely what Putin wants.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 26, 2016
In Syria, Russia and U.S. fight for the Mideast
In Russia, the U.S. now faces a rival great power that is willing to take the kind of decisive action to alter the course of events in the Middle East that had previously been limited to Western states.
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 31, 2016
Is Putin deliberately destabilizing U.S. politics?
A more destabilized West might serve Moscow's short-term interests, but in the long run Russia might suffer as much as everybody else.
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 13, 2016
Tensions ratchet up in Asia
If peace is based around consensus, the direction of travel in Asia this year seems to be entirely the wrong way.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 12, 2016
Risk of war returns to Europe
Europe remains home to more than half the world's nuclear weapons, and a growing number of experts believe that the risk of a third major war there is increasing.

Longform

When trying to trace your lineage in Japan, the "koseki" is the most important form of document you'll encounter.
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