Jahba East Africa: Islamic State Alters the Dynamic of Somalia’s Conflict Publication: Terrorism Monitor By: Sunguta West The Jamestown Foundation With the emergence of a group in Somaliland calling itself Jahba East Africa, it appears Islamic State (IS) is becoming an independent entity in Somalia’s insurgency. This development will likely complicate the conflict both for…
Art of Japan and Kiyonaga: Areas of High Culture Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Torii Kiyonaga (1752-1815) was an extremely stylish Japanese woodblock (ukiyo-e) artist who belonged to the Torii school. His rise to the top of this school highlights many aspects of Japanese culture within the art world because he wasn’t related to the…
Photography of Japan in the Meiji and Taisho Periods of History: Non-Modernism Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The photography of Ogawa Kazumasa (1860-1929) provides an alternative glimpse into the changing reality of Japan but not from a modernist point of view. This esteemed photographer was born in the late Edo era but his childhood…
Japan Loses Out to France in Major Submarine Contract with Australia: US Reliance Noriko Watanabe and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The government of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is waking up to the geopolitical reality that over-reliance on America isn’t always positive. In this sense, it appears reasonable for Australia to choose France over…
Putin’s Secret Force Multiplier: Special Operations Forces Publication: Eurasia Daily By: Roger McDermott The Jamestown Foundation One in three questions posed to President Vladimir Putin during his recent annual live phone-in show covered issues of national security. Public interest in events in Donbas has apparently shrunk substantially, and the only concerns expressed about the Islamic…
Nationalist Party Tops First Round Election in Austria: Mass Immigration and Political Alienation Helmet Joachim Schmidt, Michiyo Tanabe, and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The first round Austrian presidential elections witnessed a resounding rebuke of the two main political parties. This reality is based on Norbert Hofer, the Freedom Party of Austria, obtaining approximately…
Paul Gauguin and L.S. Lowry: Passion and Love of Art Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times L.S. Lowry (1887-1976) became one of the greatest artists in Britain during the twentieth century despite facing many obstacles related to his artistic style. After all, his style was very individualistic alongside being extremely broad. Northern English people can…
Gulf Petrodollars, France, and Intrigues in Syria and Yemen: Christian and Shia Persecution Ramazan Khalidov, Noriko Watanabe, and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Syria once was a land of unhindered Christian churches just like Iraq prior to outside meddling. However, the Christian faith now in Syria is facing the Gulf petrodollar abyss that is…
Art of Japan and Fusions of Kamisaka Sekka: Nightfall and the Allure of Buddhist Monks and Shintoism Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Japanese Shinto Shrine and Isolated Buddhist Monk Kamisaka Sekka (1866-1942) utilized part of his art by focusing on simplicity but within the realm of sophistication based on hidden meanings. Of course, individuals…
How Radicalization Was Allowed to Fester in Belgium by Abigail R. Esman Special to IPT News Investigative Project on Terrorism These are the numbers, the hard facts: Twenty months. Three terrorist attacks. One hundred seventy dead. And almost all the killers grew up in or at one time lived in Belgium. Squeezed into a corner…
Turkey and US in Dispute over ISIS and Kurds in Syria: NATO and Rogue State Ramazan Khalidov, Michiyo Tanabe, and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times President Erdogan of Turkey is going against the international grain because he and the current ruling party of this nation are focused on containing the Kurds at any cost.…
Ike No Taiga (1723-1776) and Japanese Art: Impact of China and Issues of Stratification 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…
Japanese and Dutch Art: Hiroshige and the Altered Mirage by Van Gogh Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Ando (Utagawa) Hiroshige (1797-1858) is one of the most famous Japanese ukiyo-e artists to have impacted greatly internationally. This reality came to the attention of Vincent van Gogh (1853-1890) and other European artists of high distinction. Therefore,…
The Zerkani Network: Belgium’s Most Dangerous Jihadist Group Terrorism Monitor By: Guy Van Vlierden The Jamestown Foundation In recent months, there have been key developments and insights regarding the notable number of Belgians fighting in Syria and Iraq. A recruitment organization whose existence was unearthed during a series of trials turned out to be one…
Devastating Earthquake in Ecuador: Over 350 Dead and Many Buried Under Rubble Kanako Itamae and Noriko Watanabe Modern Tokyo Times The brutal 7.8-magnitude earthquake that hit Ecuador is now known to have killed over 350 people. This figure will most likely rise because many people are still missing and reports stress that people remain buried…
Art of Japan and Yorozu Tetsugoro: Creativity and Freedom Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Yorozu Tetsugoro was born in 1885 and died of tuberculosis in 1927 after severe complications from pneumonia that finally took its toll. Sadly, all too often many artists in this period died young and the same fate awaited this genius…
Report Suggests Radical Islamists Infiltrating German Military to Receive Training by IPT News Investigative Project on Terrorism A growing number of Islamist radicals are infiltrating Germany’s military, the Bundeswehr, with an estimated 30 former soldiers later joining international terrorist organizations, reports German press agency DPA International. Germany’s military counterintelligence service (MAD) says 65 active soldiers…
Earthquake Kills 9 in Southern Japan and Hundreds Injured Takeshi Hasegawa and Sawako Uchida Modern Tokyo Times It is known that at least nine people have perished after a potent earthquake struck southern Japan. On top of this, hundreds have been injured and it is possible that the final death toll may increase. Therefore, search…
Japanese Buddhism and Tourism in Wakayama: Stunning Koyasan Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The Kansai region is extremely diverse because you have countless places to visit and enjoy the uniqueness of Japan in this amazing prefecture. Therefore, it is nigh impossible to pick one special gem because you have so many. Despite this, if…
Japanese Artist and Aert Van Der Neer: Christianity, Dutch Art, Edo Period and Altered Realities Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The Dutch Golden Age of art is a true blessing because the potency remains despite the enormous distance in time. Not surprisingly, the contemporary Japanese artist Sawako Utsumi adores this reality. This fact can…
Leaflets in London Mosque Encourage Killing Ahmadiyya Muslims by John Rossomando Investigative Project on Terrorism Pamphlets left at London’s Stockwell Green Mosque threaten death to Ahmadiyya Muslims unless they convert to mainstream Sunni Islam. Opponents have accused this mosque of helping promote acts of terror and hate in Pakistan in 2011, prompting a denial from…
Japanese Photography and the Mirage of Time: Meiji to Modern Tokyo Ladies Tomoko Hara and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The Meiji Revolution of 1868 altered the internal and external dynamics of Japan and even today the convulsions of this period can be felt. Of course, all societies that alter drastically face mass upheavals,…
Lebanon, Hezbollah and Nasrallah: Sectarianism and Reality Murad Makhmudov and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The conflict in Syria remains unresolved because the United States wants to bleed everyone to death. At the same time, Turkey and feudal kingdoms in the Gulf, for example, Qatar and Saudi Arabia, refuse to give up on their…
Tokyo Lifestyle and Fashion in Kichijoji Sarah Deschamps and Kanako Itamae Modern Tokyo Times Tokyo lifestyle provides a wealth of different options that appeal to different individuals. The district of Kichijoji is one of many lovely places to reside in Tokyo. This is based on this delightful area being blessed with a lovely fashion district…
Europe’s Young ISIS Recruits: Should They Stay or Should They Go? by Abigail R. Esman Special to IPT News Investigative Project on Terrorism For weeks, Farid Bouamran, a Dutch-Moroccan immigrant who has lived 30 years in Amsterdam, watched as his son Achraf became increasingly radicalized, tuning in to videos and Twitter accounts online. Within two…
Terrorism and the Deaths of Japanese Nationals: Algeria Crisis to Listening to Russia Jibril Khoury, Takeshi Hasegawa and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The hostage crisis in Algeria in 2013 led to the deaths of ten Japanese nationals along with many other individuals from different nations. Sadly, it was abundantly clear from the…
Contemporary Japanese Artist and the Allure and Mirage of Utrillo Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Maurice Utrillo produced many stunning art pieces and this notably applies to amazing cityscapes. He was born in 1883 in Paris and despite many health problems he lived until late 1955. Therefore, Utrillo witnessed many momentous events in French…
Nepal’s Divisive New Constitution: An Existential Crisis Asia Report International Crisis Group EXECUTIVE SUMMARY AND RECOMMENDATIONS On 20 September 2015, Nepal’s new constitution passed amid deadly protests by Madhesi and Tharu groups across the southern Tarai plains that continued for months, leaving 57 dead. Protesting groups said the statute backtracked on addressing structural discrimination. The…
Russia must warn Turkey over Armenia and Azerbaijan tensions: Nagorno-Karabakh Crisis Ramazan Khalidov, Noriko Watanabe and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The Russian Federation must warn Turkey about embroiling itself in the dispute between Armenia and Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh. Indeed, given events in Syria and the Ukraine, then clearly political elites in Moscow really…
Japanese Artist and Homage to the Dutch Artist Aert Van Der Neer Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The artist Aert van der Neer (1603-1677 ) belongs to the Dutch Golden Age of art but sadly his life was blighted by poverty. It is difficult to imagine the real world that engulfed Dutch artists in…
Japan and Foreign Workers to Reach 1 Million: Europe, Capitalism, Islamists and Cultural Stability Sawako Uchida and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Prime Minister Shinzo Abe of Japan and capitalist corporations that support the loosening of foreign employment are at the bottom ladder of evolving into yet another cultural wipeout. Indeed, one only needs…
Neglected Refugees of South Sudan and Bonds Linking the UK: Animists, Christians, and Economic Migrants Lielit Kebede, Noriko Watanabe and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times In South Sudan, the mainly Animist and Christian civilian population are in dire need of economic and international support. Unlike mainly male economic migrants reaching Europe who insist on…
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