African Union Backs Down by Listening to Burundi Paul Joseph Nzeribe, Noriko Watanabe and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The African Union (AU) finally listened to political elites in Burundi therefore this organization will no longer send 5,000 peacekeepers to this nation. Instead, the AU now insists that political dialogue is needed in order…
Art of Japan and Ando Hiroshige: Religion, Sexuality, Natural Beauty and Fusions Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Ando Hiroshige is deemed to be one of the finest artists to bless the country of Japan. On top of this, this amazing artist also influenced famous artists like Van Gogh. Not surprisingly, Hiroshige left behind a…
L.S. Lowry and Sawako Utsumi: Bleak Northern Reality to Light of Sendai Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times L.S. Lowry (1887-1976) and Sawako Utsumi come from two very different cultures that have been shaped by the respective faiths of Buddhism, Christianity and Shintoism. Of course, in modern day Japan and the United Kingdom then secularism…
China’s Counter-Terrorism Calculus Publication: China Brief Volume: 16 Issue: 2 By: Jacob Zenn The Jamestown Foundation China’s growing global footprint, escalating conflicts and the spread of terrorism in theaters ranging from Syria to Afghanistan and Southeast Asia have created openings for non-state actors to target Chinese interests and citizens overseas. Accompanying China’s growing global footprint…
Lee Rigby and Anas al-Liby: Murky Roles of MI5 and MI6 in Relation to Takfiri Islamists Murad Makhmudov and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times MI5 and MI6 in the United Kingdom were deeply relieved by the fortunate death of Anas al-Liby in America earlier last year. His death therefore was met with sighs of…
Turkey and Crushing Free Speech based on Fear: Megalomania of President Erdogan Nuray Lydia Oglu, Sawako Uchida and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times President Erdogan of Turkey is known for rebuking enemies at home and far away with extreme language. At the same time, the flowers of democracy are gradually being eroded based on…
Japanese Art, Still Life, Pythagoras and Plotinus: Kishida, Koide and Utsumi Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Still life art became a specific specialization within Western art by the final decades of the sixteenth century. Of course, this artistic theme can be traced back to Ancient Graeco-Roman art and within various elements of other cultures.…
Stirring up the South China Sea (IV): Oil in Troubled Waters International Crisis Group This report is also available in: Chinese EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The South China Sea’s hydrocarbon resources are hotly contested though its reserves are unproven. While their potential economic benefit may be considerable, their foremost significance is political, as their division has…
Brazil and World Health Organization: Growing Spread of Zika Virus throughout the Americas Galina Zobova and Kanako Itamae Modern Tokyo Times The World Health Organization (WHO) believes that the Zika virus will spread to all but two nations throughout South America and North America, with Canada and continental Chile being the two exceptions. Of course,…
Haiti Cancels Presidential Election: Endless Cycle of Corruption and Poverty Olivier Lecourt, Michiyo Tanabe and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The endless cycle of poverty and corruption continues to blight Haiti and sadly it appears that you don’t have any end in sight. This reality is behind the cancelled presidential elections of Haiti because…
Art of Japan, Culture and Religion: Old World and Fusions of Modern Culture Tomoko Hara and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Shintoism runs deep throughout Japanese religion even when outwardly Buddhism may appear predominant. This is based on fusions and gentle ideas that have penetrated various different Buddhist sects. Indeed, even when it appears…
The Maldives: Losing a Tourist Paradise to Terrorism Publication: Terrorism Monitor Volume: 14 Issue: 2 By: Sudha Ramachandran The Jamestown Foundation Renowned for pristine beaches and crystal blue waters, the Maldives is rapidly gaining prominence as a haven for jihadist recruitment. Maldivian men – reportedly 200 of them – have been streaming to Iraq and…
France to Support Tunisia during Trying Times: Instability and Terrorism Nawal Soueif, Noriko Watanabe and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times North Africa is currently blighted by instability, terrorism, poverty and other negative factors. Similarly, unemployment rates are high in several European nations and France also is blighted by terrorism. Therefore, with convulsions still rocking…
Japanese Folklore, Poetry and Buddhist Light from Darkness: Abandoning the Elderly to Die Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Japanese folklore focuses on an array of subjects, from the beauty of light to areas of extreme darkness. The subject area involving oyasute (the abandonment of a parent – or relative) and ubasute (the abandonment of…
Azerbaijan Seeks a Quiet Geopolitical Approach: Russian Federation and Turkey Murad Makhmudov, Noriko Watanabe and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The political elites in Baku are at pains to distance Azerbaijan from the entanglements of the Russian Federation and Turkey. Of course, in order to achieve this then Azerbaijan must contemplate serious issues from…
Folklore and Art of Japan: Kyosai, the Spirit World, Tengu and Impact of Shintoism Lee Jay Walker 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 to the…
Indonesia: Inter Faith Rally Denounces Terrorism in Jakarta Amina Qamar, Takeshi Hasegawa and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Takfiri Sunni Islamists who attacked people in Jakarta had hoped to sow the seeds of disunity in Indonesia. Yet Indonesia isn’t fickle because indigenous Sunni Islam, in all its diversity, is a million miles away from…
Japan Artist and Derbyshire: Churches and Landscapes of Bamford, Edale, Grindleford and New Mills Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Derbyshire in England is blessed with countless adorable villages and towns throughout the High Peak region. Indeed, the entire county is a wonder for tourists who cherish nature, culture and history. On top of this,…
Armenia, Georgia, Iran and Russia Plan to Expand Energy Cooperation Publication: Eurasia Daily Monitor By: Armen Grigoryan The Jamestown Foundation In Yerevan, on December 23, the energy ministers of Armenia, Georgia, and Iran as well as the chief executive of the Rosseti joint-stock company, which manages Russia’s power distribution grids, signed a memorandum on cooperation…
Sunni Islamists Kill Many in Burkina Faso: Takfiri Jihad, Terrorism and Sectarianism Omar Abdullah Ismail, Noriko Watanabe and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times In the past two weeks Sunni Takfiri Islamists have attacked many nations including Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Indonesia, Iraq, Libya, Nigeria, Pakistan, Somalia, Syria and Turkey. At the same time, nations like…
Tragic Bus Crash Kills 14 in Japan: Many Young People Perish Kanako Itamae and Hiroshi Saito Modern Tokyo Times Tragedy struck an overnight bus carrying people to a ski resort in Nagano Prefecture, Japan. Sadly, what should have been a time of joy ended in tragedy because 14 people perished after the bus crashed within…
Le Nabi Tres Japonard: Art of Japan and Pierre Bonnard Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The artistic genius of Pierre Bonnard was far from the mind of his father because he had hoped that his son would become a barrister. At the same time, the sweeping political changes in Japan meant that artistic fusions…
Japanese Art and Ike No Taiga (1723-1776): China, Poverty, Stratification and Myths Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The Edo Period is famous for isolating Japan from the outside world and equally known for stratification. This applies notably to events prior to the last few decades of the demise of the Edo Period because Western…
Saudi Arabia is Pulverizing Yemen: Feudal Islamist Monarchy, Sectarianism and Western Powers Salma Zribi, Michiyo Tanabe and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Saudi Arabia and allies of this nation are pulverizing Yemen to pieces on a daily basis. Indeed, nothing is sacred because mosques, hospitals, schools, food centers and the entire infrastructure are being…
Tajikistan Early Warning: Internal Pressures, External Threats International Crisis Group OVERVIEW Tajikistan, Central Asia’s poorest state, is under dangerous pressure both internally and externally. President Emomali Rahmon’s 23-year rule is marred by violence, lack of accountability, corruption and mass migration. Remittances and drug trafficking are key sources of income. Controls on religion and political opposition,…
Rallies in Hong Kong after Five Booksellers Disappear into China’s One Party Thin Air Shuchun Zhang, Noriko Watanabe and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Rallies in Hong Kong occurred against the government of China based on the disappearance of five booksellers. The political nature is abundantly obvious because all individuals work at the same…
L.S. Lowry and Maurice Utrillo Through the Eyes of a Japanese Artist Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times L.S. Lowry (1887-1976) and Maurice Utrillo (1883-1955) were born in the 1880s and perished well into the twentieth century. Both individuals created countless amazing pieces of art but from very different angles. This reality hit a chord…
Al-Shabaab Recruitment from Kenyan Universities Alarms Officials Publication: Terrorism Monitor By: Sunguta West The Jamestown Foundation Al-Shabaab, the Somalia-based Islamist militant organization, is still actively recruiting from neighboring Kenya even as the group suffers major setbacks in southern Somalia. Underpinning the group’s notable success in recruitment is the radicalization and indoctrination of young men in…
Lake Chad Basin and Islamist Threat against Christians and Muslims: Cameroon, Chad, Niger and Nigeria Paul Joseph Nzeribe, Takeshi Hasegawa and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The Sunni Takfiri Islamist terrorist group Boko Haram continues to slaughter and intimidate. However, unlike past years prior to 2015 this now equally applies to parts of Cameroon,…
Belittlement of Japan by BBC: Why is Japan in the Shadows of China and India? 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…
Japanese Artist and Stunning Derbyshire: New Mills and Brailsford Christian Church Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The stunning landscape of the High Peak in Derbyshire is a real treasure and the same applies to the surrounding area. This applies to stunning nature, amazing villages within the mountain landscape, beautiful rivers, adorable Christian churches, tranquil…
Japanese Art and Utamaro: Illumination of Bijin-ga Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The exact date of the birth of Utamaro Kitagawa and strong details about his parents remain shrouded in mystery. It is known that this striking ukiyo-e artist was born in the middle of the eighteenth century and that he died in the…
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