Art of Japan and Yoshitoshi: Endless Bouts of Depression Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The artist Tsukioka Yoshitoshi literally lived in two worlds and this applies to not only the Edo Period and Meiji Period but also to his chaotic lifestyle. However, despite this, Yoshitoshi produced stunning art and he was extremely productive. Yoshitoshi…
Russia’s Game in Southeast Asia Publication: Eurasia Daily Monitor By: Stephen Blank The Jamestown Foundation The Ukraine crisis has brought Russia and China much closer together (see EDM, April 3). But Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev’s trip to Southeast Asia—Thailand and then Vietnam—in early April 2015, suggests that Moscow is simultaneously hedging against China, as…
Russia and Iran Need to Fully Support Syria: Gulf States, Turkey and US Ramazan Khalidov, Takeshi Hasegawa and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The estranged administration of President Obama is still working with powerful Gulf powers and the government of Turkey in order to overthrow the government of Syria. New forces being trained by…
Japanese Art and Power of France: Henri Rousseau and Oka Shikanosuke Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Oka Shikanosuke (1898-1978) took a familiar path for many Japanese artists in this period by moving to France in 1924. The impression of Paris and the French cultural scene must have enchanted Oka Shikanosuke during this period of…
Geopolitics of Japan: A New Warrior Benkei Spirit is Needed to Move Closer to China and Russia Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Since the post-World War Two period it is abundantly obvious that America predominates when it comes to the foreign policy of Japan. Indeed, the relationship, despite having some ups and downs, continues…
Nuclear Agreement with Iran: Remarkably Good Deal By Vojin Joksimovich Modern Tokyo Times The April 2nd Lausanne framework agreement between the six world powers and Iran represents a remarkably good deal from the nuclear non-proliferation standpoint. It has the potential to become a historic game-changer, assuming a formal deal is signed by July 1 overcoming…
Al-Qaeda Terrorists Enter Syria from NATO Turkey: NATO and US Silence Nuray Lydia Oglu, Noriko Watanabe and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Turkey, under the leadership of Erdogan, is nothing more than a pariah international jihadist conduit that enables al-Qaeda affiliates, ISIS (Islamic State – IS), Free Syrian Army (FSA) – and an array…
Nepal Hit by Devastating 7.8 Magnitude Earthquake: At Least 1,450 People Killed Hiroshi Saito and Walter Sebastian Modern Tokyo Times It is known that at least 1,450 people in Nepal have been killed after a devastating earthquake hit this nation. The deadly 7.8 magnitude earthquake is the most powerful to hit this country for over…
Folklore and Art of Japan: Kintaro the Mysterious and Powerful Golden Boy Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Kintaro remains extremely popular in modern Japan because of the power of animation and other aspects of modern culture that maintains his rich visibility. In the Edo period the world of noh, kabuki and ukiyo-e provided a…
1,000 Killed in Yemen by Saudi Arabia and Allies: America, Iran, Syria and the Shia Ramazan Khalidov, Takeshi Hasegawa and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times America, Iran, the Russian Federation, and other powerful nations, are involved in trying to solve the nuclear issue. At the same time, the role of Iran on the ground…
Uzbekistan Could Seek Foreign Assistance Against Islamic State Publication: Eurasia Daily Monitor By: John C. K. Daly The Jamestown Foundation The increasing presence of Islamic State (IS) militants in Afghanistan has raised fears in neighboring Uzbekistan. It is no longer a question of whether IS has a presence in Afghanistan, only its scope and intentions.…
Is the BBC anti-Japan and marginalizing this nation? Noriko Watanabe and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Japan is still the most powerful nation in the Asia Pacific (among the elites internationally) in terms of income, transparency, rights of women, corporate law, modernity, a powerful middle class, state of the art technology, and in many…
Japanese Art and Folklore: Tengu and World of Spirits in the Art of Kawanabe Kyosai Lee Jay Walker and Modern Tokyo Times The Japanese artist Kawanabe Kyosai is extremely fascinating because of his individualistic spirit and this is witnessed in his art. Kyosai, just like the mysterious Tengu, belonged to two worlds and this applies…
Narashige Koide and Art of Japan: Portraiture Art, Still Life and Vibrant Nudes Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Yoga (Western-style) portraiture art and expressions of still life by Narashige Koide remain deeply embedded when thinking about this artist. Koide continued to develop through his relatively short life because he died at the age of…
Christians Killed by ISIS while Western States that Defeated Gaddafi just Watch: Gulf States and Turkey Lielit Kebede, Takeshi Hasegawa and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times ISIS (Islamic State – IS) Takfiri Islamist barbarians have killed 30 Ethiopian Christians. This follows on from an earlier massacre of Coptic Christians from Egypt by ISIS Islamists…
Syria is on the Frontline: Parliamentarians in Belgium follow the lead of Politicians in France Murad Makhmudov and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The people of Syria face a brutal civilization war whereby sinister Takfiri Islamist forces threaten indigenous Islam in this nation and the various Christian communities that reside in fear. If the…
Sublime Japanese Artist Yasui Sotaro: Environment of Kyoto to Western Style Portraiture Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The sublime Japanese artist Yasui Sotaro (1888-1955) lived during a time of momentous changes. He witnessed the dynamics of a new Japan that emerged after the Meiji Restoration of 1868 that erased much of the Edo era.…
Indonesia must do more to Protect Nationals from Mistreatment in Saudi Arabia Preeya Wattana and Noriko Watanabe Modern Tokyo Times The government of Indonesia must do more to protect migrants from this country that work in Saudi Arabia. After all, vast numbers of nationals from Indonesia seek work throughout the Gulf region and obviously Saudi…
More of Georgia’s Muslims Try to Join Islamic State Publication: Eurasia Daily Monitor Volume: 12 Issue: 71 By: Vasili Rukhadze The Jamestown Foundation On April 2, two high school boys from Georgia’s Pankisi Gorge, populated by Muslim Chechens (known as Kists in Georgia), disappeared and later contacted their parents, notifying them that they were in…
Saudi Arabia bombing the Shia benefits Al-Qaeda after Airport Falls: America, France and Hezbollah Murad Makhmudov and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Saudi Arabia and its brutal interference into the internal affairs of Yemen, along with other Sunni dominated states, is boosting al-Qaeda. This reality applies to more areas coming under the control of…
Racial Attacks in South Africa Witnesses Malawi Evacuating its Citizens: ANC Ineptness Michiyo Tanabe and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The ultimate failure of the African National Congress (ANC) from changing society from white apartheid rule to a “rainbow nation” is in tatters internally and externally. This reality is unraveling internationally. However, the writing…
Fujishima Takeji, Alfred Sisley and Art: Impressionism, Landscapes and Paris Connection Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Alfred Sisley and Fujishima Takeji were both born in the nineteenth century and their common factors apply to the stunning art they produced and the richness of Paris which influenced both artists. They both also studied at the Ecole…
US and France Support Saudi Arabia against the Shia in Yemen: Al-Qaeda, ISIS and Syria Nawal Soueif, Noriko Watanabe and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The governments of America and France have decided to support Saudi Arabia in its bombing of innocent civilians in Yemen. At the same time, regional Sunni Muslim dominated…
Race Attacks in South Africa and ethnic issues throughout the continent Olivier Lecourt, Michiyo Tanabe and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Racial politics blighted the old South Africa because apartheid imprisoned, ruled based on racism and clearly alienated the majority of the population based on the color of your skin. The African National…
Japan must consider Regional Bank with China like South Korea irrespective of US pressure Kanako Itamae and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The government of Japan must remind America that economic, political and geopolitical areas are not dependent on the desires of Washington. This applies to the Obama administration questioning the possibility that Japan…
China’s Sea Boundary Claims are Assisting America: South China Sea and Asia Pacific Shuchun Zhang, Noriko Watanabe and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Political statecraft is a rich art in China because the “Middle Kingdom” faced many geopolitical and religious realities that threatened on several fronts. Therefore, it is time for modern China to…
Tokyo Ladies and Style of Women in Japanese Art Tomoko Hara Modern Tokyo Times Ukiyo-e art in Japan focused on many themes during its “golden period” in the Edo period and this was replicated during the Meiji era. Therefore, the world of old Japan comes alive visually within many areas of ukiyo-e art because of…
Women, Violence and Conflict in Pakistan International Crisis Group EXECUTIVE SUMMARY AND RECOMMENDATIONS Eight years into its democratic transition, violence against women is still endemic in Pakistan, amid a climate of impunity and state inaction. Discriminatory legislation and a dysfunctional criminal justice system have put women at grave risk. Targeted by violent extremists with…
Obama, Estrangement, Iran, and Syria: US Assisting anti-Shia Saudi Arabia in Yemen Ramazan Khalidov, Noriko Watanabe and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Foreign policy in America under President Obama is certainly one of mass estrangement, confusion and assisting in failed states. In Egypt the Obama administration favored a new Muslim Brotherhood regional order that…
Rand Paul Enters 2016 US Presidential Election Campaign: Time For Real Change Michiyo Tanabe and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times President Obama promised real change but clearly this never materialized. Instead, greater surveillance and increasing debt became the reality alongside a chaotic foreign policy that is helping to boost al-Qaeda affiliates and ISIS (Islamic…
Art of Japan and Informative Years of Keisai Eisen Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Keisai Eisen (1790-1848) learnt to be independent from an early age because he chose a path that was fraught with economic danger. In a sense, Keisai Eisen represents aspects of “the real Edo period” for individuals who resided in big…
Iran needs to Challenge Saudi Arabia over Yemen: Syria, Shia Persecution and US Confusion Jibril Khoury, Hiroshi Saito and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Houthi Shia fighters entered the vacuum in this nation because of the rampant corruption of the former leaders, systematic anti-Shia persecution, the genuine threat of al-Qaeda affiliates, the intrigues…
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