Zimbabwe: Stranded in Stasis International Crisis Group OVERVIEW Zimbabwe is floundering, with little sign of meaningful reform and sustainable, broad-based recovery. Political uncertainty and economic insecurity have worsened; the Zimbabwe African National Union – Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF) government has consolidated power, as the opposition stumbles, but is consumed by struggles over who will succeed President…
Japanese Art and Yokoyama Taikan: Loyalty, Nationalism and Creativity Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Yokoyama Taikan (1868-1958) was born in the prefecture of Ibaraki but he moved to Tokyo in 1878. This period of history in Japan would witness many events because time didn’t stand still during the Meiji, Taisho, and Showa periods of…
Shia in Iraq come out in Vast Numbers to Listen to Cleric Sayyid Muqtada al-Sadr in Baghdad Murad Makhmudov, Takeshi Hasegawa and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The Shia holy cleric Sayyid Muqtada al-Sadr spoke powerfully to vast numbers of Shia Muslims in Baghdad. Unlike many senior politicians, al-Sadr did not hide in Baghdad…
Japan Art and Esaias Van De Velde: Shades of Light Suppress Time and Culture Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Sawako Utsumi is a modern Japanese artist who focuses on personal landscapes, nature, culture, aspects of Japanese art and re-awakening famous artists but with a twinkle of personal shades, altered images to a minor degree,…
The Battle for the Euphrates: Turkey’s Response to Kurdish Expansion Publication: Terrorism Monitor Volume By: Wladimir van Wilgenburg The Jamestown Foundation In an unexpected move on December 26, the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which is dominated by the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG), captured the Tishreen Dam close to Manbijin, Syria (YPGrojava, December 30, 2015).…
Merkel and Political Correct Coercion in Germany: Trojan Spyware and Merkel’s GDR Mirror Noriko Watanabe and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Chancellor Merkel and the current ruling party appear to believe that they have the right to alter the ethnic and religious landscape of Germany, without any questions being asked. Indeed, if individuals don’t…
Japanese Art: Van Gogh and the real Eternity’s Gate of Yuzo Saeki Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Shortly before Van Gogh died he painted “At Eternity’s Gate” in 1890 after doing the same image as a lithograph eight years before. The image of this art piece is extremely powerful and the meaning can be…
Assyrian Christians Pay for Freedom from ISIS in Syria: Islamist Takfiris, Ransom and Persecution Jibril Khoury, Sawako Uchida and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Takfiri Islamists belonging to ISIS (Islamic State – IS) in Syria have finally released the last 43 kidnapped Assyrian Christians of the original 230 that were taken by this Islamist…
Venezuela on the Edge International Crisis Group The 6 December parliamentary election in which the Venezuelan opposition won a landslide victory and a two-thirds legislative majority, combined with the ongoing economic meltdown, should have encouraged a more conciliatory stance by the government and a mutual search for a basic political agreement. But it has not,…
Book for Children and Culture: Mavis the Magic Dog and the Japanese Boy called Ryo Sawako Utsumi and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Intriguing world of adorable birds and animals fused with aspects of Japanese and British culture. This comes together in the magical world of Shimabara where elements of Shintoism exist near the…
Japan Art, Culture, Folklore and Warrior Monk Benkei: Buddhism, Shintoism and Yamabushi Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times In Japanese culture, history and art it is clear that Saito no Musashibo Benkei left a lasting impression and this continues today in modern culture. This legendary warrior monk belonged to the intriguing period of the 12th…
Merkel is Ignoring Abuses against the Kurds: Germany, Turkey and Migrant Crisis Murad Makhmudov, Noriko Watanabe and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Chancellor Merkel is dictating to democratic European nations who oppose her migration and refugee policies. Not only this, the same Merkel is currently sounding like a recent mouthpiece of President Erdogan of…
North Korean Nuclear Test, Satellite Launch Increase Sino-Korean Tensions Publication: China Brief Volume: 16 Issue: 3 By: Peter Wood The Jamestown Foundation On February 7, North Korea televised the launch of a rocket that put an “earth observation satellite” into orbit (KCTV, February 6; Xinhua, February 7). South Korea’s spy agency earlier announced that the…
Opposition Accuses Turkey of Supporting ISIS and other Jihadists against Syria: NATO says? Nuray Lydia Oglu, Takeshi Hasegawa and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times It is no open secret that international jihadists and the flow of military arms have been flowing into Syria since Gulf and NATO powers began to destabilize this nation. However,…
Tani Buncho and Japanese Art in the Edo Period: Influence of China Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times In the history books it is stated that Japan in the Edo period was cut off from the outside world but the old ways persisted and certain daimyo maintained aspects of past trade depending on geography. Therefore,…
Tunisian MB Leader’s ‘Time’ Column Glosses Over Tunisia’s Jihadi Problem by John Rossomando IPT News Investigative Project on Terrorism Sheikh Rached Ghannouchi, founder and head of Tunisia’s Muslim Brotherhood-linked Ennahda Party, claims in a recent Time magazine column that his country offers the antidote to the poison spread by the Islamic State (ISIS). That’s an…
Gulf and NATO Flooded Syria with Terrorists: Economic Blockade, Refugees and President Assad Murad Makhmudov and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The destabilization policies of major Gulf and NATO powers led to NATO Turkey being an open conduit for terrorists alongside a brutal economic blockade. Not only this, but weapons and international sectarian jihadists…
Nikkei in Japan below 15,000: Abe, Kuroda and Longsighted Shirakawa Takeshi Hasegawa, Kanako Itamae and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The Japanese Nikkei fell below 15,000 for the first time since October 2014 and like usual state intervention will likely witness more squandering of taxpayers money. By the fall of February 12, 2016, the…
Japanese Art and Reflection of the Dutch Artist Esaias Van De Velde Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The artist Esaias van de Velde was born in Amsterdam and just like in Japan religious issues were extremely problematic during this period of history. Esaias knew this reality at first hand because his father had fled…
Restoration of Aziz Mosque in Adjara Reignites Debate Over Ottoman Legacy in Georgia Publication: Eurasia Daily Monitor By: Giorgi Menabde The Jamestown Foundation Hundreds of Muslim Georgians who live in the autonomous republic of Adjara, in southwestern Georgia, held a protest rally, on February 5, in the regional capital of Batumi. The protesters demanded that…
Gyoshu Hayami: Art Forms of Japan, Richness of Imperial China and European Art Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The Japanese artist Gyoshu Hayami (1894-1935) was extremely inquisitive and this applies to various art forms emanating from Japan to modern European art. On top of this, Hayami also adored the rich reality of Chinese art.…
Chechen Muslims Loyal to Russia are Assisting in Syria by Infiltrating ISIS and al-Qaeda Ramazan Khalidov and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The Russian Federation is multi-ethnic and multi-religious and clearly the armed forces resemble the religious mosaic of Syria. Orthodox Christians in the armed forces of the Russian Federation may predominate, just like…
North Korea Launches a Long-Range Missile claims South Korea: Japan needs a Calm Response Ri Kuk-Chol, Takeshi Hasegawa and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times According to a spokesperson at the South Korean Defense Ministry the nation of North Korea launched a long-range missile. Currently, reports are sketchy therefore it is imperative not to over-hype…
Yugoslavia to Syria and Migration: Russia is Fed Up with Gulf States and NATO Powers Murad Makhmudov, Michiyo Tanabe and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The ineptitude of the Obama administration in America knows no boundaries when it comes to foreign policy. In truth, this is following on from past administrations in this nation…
Paul Gauguin and Glimpses of Japan: Rich Artistic Soul Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The art of Paul Gauguin is extremely rich in quality and when viewing his art you can feel the intensity and uniqueness of such a talented individual. Whatever negatives have been stated about this sublime artist with regards to his…
Dutch Intelligence Report Exposes Horrors of Daily Life Under ISIS by Abigail R. Esman Special to IPT News Investigative Project on Terrorism When the leaders of ISIS declared the caliphate of the Islamic State in June 2014, the world already had a strong idea of who they were: a jihadist group so violent, so…
With Allies like Turkey and Saudi Arabia the US doesn’t need Enemies: Erdogan Must Go By Vojin Joksimovich, PhD Modern Tokyo Times Turkey and Saudi Arabia, routinely referred to as the United States (US) Middle East allies, have been implicated supporting the Islamic State (IS) or ISIS or ISIL (term used by president Obama) or…
Maurice Utrillo in the Heart of Sendai Artist: Yuzo Saeki to Sawako Utsumi Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The French artist Maurice Utrillo (1883-1955), just like the British artist L.S. Lowry (1887-1976), are two of the most predominant artists to hail from France and the United Kingdom in the twentieth century. Of course, internationally,…
Protests in Azerbaijan: A Political and Economic Watershed Publication: Eurasia Daily Monitor Volume: 13 Issue: 21 By: Zaur Shiriyev The Jamestown Foundation Following the devaluation of Azerbaijan’s national currency, the manat, in December 2015—the second in a year—the public has struggled to understand how this policy will affect their daily lives. The impact has become…
Japanese Edo Artist Totoya Hokkei: Fusion of Ideas Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The Japanese ukiyo-e artist Totoya Hokkei studied under the internationally famous Hokusai Katsushika. He was born in 1780 and passed away in 1850 during the Edo era. This period of Japanese history would witness many dynamics in the later part of…
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