U.K. and Double Game of Terrorist Ratlines and GCHQ Spying: Control of Smartphones Noriko Watanabe and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Edward Snowden warns about the role of big government in the United Kingdom (UK) and how the Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) can literally control smartphones at the drop of a hat. Of course,…
High Peak in Derbyshire and Japanese Artist: 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, for…
On the Verge of Peace: Colombia Reaches Final Agreement with the FARC International Crisis Group The comprehensive Colombia peace deal faces major challenges, including a 2 October plebiscite, disarmament and UN verification. But after four years of talks in Cuba, Colombians have passed a new landmark in the long search for an end to 52…
Mavis the Magic Dog: Sakura the Squirrel and the Terrible Storm (Magic, Nature, and Shinto) Tomoko Hara and Kanako Itamae Modern Tokyo Times The second book of the series about Mavis the Dog and the Japanese boy called Ryo is a real gem. This is based on the natural adventure of this children book series…
NATO Turkey is Killing the Kurds Directly in Syria: Obama is the new Arthur Zimmermann Murad Makhmudov and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The one consistent theme of President Obama’s leadership in the Middle East and North Africa is to sow the seeds of chaos and mass instability. This reality is visible to an…
Visegrad must Unite against Merkel’s Ambition to Dilute Europe: Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, and Slovakia Sawako Uchida and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The Visegrad Group (V4) consisting of the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, and Slovakia, must stand firm against the dilution of Europe based on Chancellor Merkel’s mass immigration policies. Indeed, Germany under…
Taiwan’s Military Reforms and Strategy: Reset Required Publication: China Brief By: Kevin McCauley The Jamestown Foundation According to recently inaugurated President Tsai Ing-wen, Taiwan’s military is in need of “drastic” reforms to address a number of problems including military officers’ lack of strategic guidance, limited resources, and issues with force structure, training, morale and discipline…
Revolutionary Period in Japan and the Artist Sadahide Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The artist Utagawa Sadahide (Gountei Sadahide) lived to see the first years of Japanese modernization that began in 1868 with the start of the Meiji Restoration. Intriguingly, he also focused on depicting foreign nationals that were now allowed to enter Japan…
Book for Children: Mavis, the Japanese Boy called Ryo and the Magical World of Shimabara Sawako Utsumi and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The 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 dangerous…
Earthquake Tragedy Strikes Central Italy Noriko Watanabe and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times A devastating earthquake with a magnitude of 6.2 hit central Italy. It is currently known that at least 150 people have perished. Sadly, it is more than likely that the final death toll will increase further because many people are still…
Chinese Military Promises Aid to Syria Publication: China Brief By: Peter Wood The Jamestown Foundation China has announced a shift in its foreign policy toward Syria. During a visit to Damascus on August 14, People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) Rear Admiral Guan Youfei (关友飞) noted that this year marks the 60th anniversary of relations between…
Alyse Radenovic and Biblical Art: Judaism, the Belief of the Pharaoh and the Jews of China Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Alyse Radenovic is a contemporary artist who hails from the United States. This reality not surprisingly equates to a very diverse and historical belonging, irrespective if firmly based on blood, to new dynamics…
Utagawa Kuniyoshi and Adorable Japanese Landscapes: Natural Flow of Nature Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Utagawa Kuniyoshi is among the crème de la crème of ukiyo-e artists because his artwork remains powerful in modern times. Kuniyoshi, just like other famous Japanese artists like Ando Hiroshige and Katsushika Hokusai, was very diverse. This is because…
Azerbaijan and Geopolitical Concerns: 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 the approach…
South Sudan’s Risky Political Impasse International Crisis Group One year ago, the main warring parties in South Sudan – the government and Sudan People’s Liberation Movement/Army-In Opposition (SPLM/A-IO) signed a peace agreement designed to end South Sudan’s nearly two-year civil war. The government only signed under concerted pressure from regional and international powers; yet despite…
Art Book of Japan and European Art: Buddhism, Churches, Derbyshire, Dutch Art, Shinto, and Ukiyo-e Tomoko Hara Modern Tokyo Times The art book Sawako Utsumi and her Kindred Spirit and the under title European and Japanese Art: Buddhism, Christianity, Landscapes, Rinpa, Shintoism, Ukiyo-e, and Dutch Masters, is a real gem. This is based on…
Tsukioka Yoshitoshi and Art of Japan: Creativity, Depression, and Changing Times 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…
The Philippines’ Misguided Plan to Stop South China Sea Tensions International Crisis Group Former Philippine president Fidel Ramos was in Hong Kong earlier this month to meet his “old friends” in hopes of breaking ice with Beijing. In a statement issued Thursday, Ramos and his interlocutors, including prominent Chinese diplomat Fu Ying, said they discussed…
Hassan Nasrallah and Hezbollah on the Frontline in Fighting Sectarian Takfiri Islamists Murad Makhmudov and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The Secretary-General of Hezbollah, Hassan Nasrallah, is one of the most powerful individuals in the entire Middle East despite his power base being firmly entrenched in the Levant. Indeed, the continuing evolution of…
Japanese Art and Eishōsai Chōki Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The Edo Period in Japan enabled a plethora of Japanese woodblock artists to materialize. Astonishingly, in comparison with Christian and Muslim-dominated parts of the world in the same period, many explicit realities became incorporated within the world of ukiyo-e. At the same time, adorable…
A New Threat to Libya’s Stability Emerges Publication: Terrorism Monitor By: Nathaniel Barr, Madeleine Blackman The Jamestown Foundation While Islamic State (IS) is in decline in the central Libyan city of Sirte, another armed group with ties to the global jihadist movement is threatening to usher in a new period of instability in Libya. In…
Sunni Takfiri threat against Christians and Indigenous Muslims in the Lake Chad Basin 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 in the past this now equally applies to parts of Cameroon, Chad, and Niger. In…
Influence of Paris Art Scene for Alfred Sisley and Fujishima Takeji 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…
Japanese History and Culture: Ikebana (living flowers) Sarah Deschamps and Kanako Itamae Modern Tokyo Times The history of ikebana (living flowers) is fascinating because it tells us a lot about aspects of Japanese culture and how the different thought patterns can be seen in art. Ikebana is also known by the name of kado (way…
Report: Jabhat al-Nusra’s Rebranding Aims To Ensure Group’s Survival by Abha Shankar Investigative Project on Terrorism Jabhat al-Nusra’s July 28 announcement of its new name and avatar, the Fateh al-Sham Front (“The Victory in Al-Sham Front”), does not mean the terrorist group has formally split ties with al-Qaida, an Israeli intelligence report warns. Jabhat al-Nusra…
Meiji to the Mirage of Modern Tokyo Lady: Photography of Japan 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, elements…
Sawako Utsumi and Art of Japan: Yokoyama Taikan and Sakai Hoitsu Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Sawako Utsumi is a modern artist from Japan who adores the richness of European and Japanese art. At the same time, this exquisite artist also adores painting landscapes of the natural beauty of the High Peak in…
Erdogan-Gulen Power Struggle Divides European Turks IPT News Investigative Project on Terrorism On the night of July 15, members of the Turkish military stormed the state-run TRT news agency in Ankara and forced an anchorwoman to read a statement calling President Recep Tayyip Erdogan a “traitor.” Within moments, tanks began to drive menacingly through the…
Emperor Akihito of Japan needs Similar Dignity in Possible Abdication Hiroshi Saito, Noriko Watanabe, and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Emperor Akihito of Japan is indicating strongly that abdication is in the interest of the nation because of his declining health. The Emperor was born in 1933 and since he became the leader of…
Terrorists enter Syria based on Gulf and NATO Intrigues: Blockade and Refugees 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 utilized…
Ghost of Koheiji and Konishi Hirosada: Japanese Art and Folklore Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The power of the Shinto faith runs deep throughout the fabric of Japanese religion, folklore, culture and other important aspects of society. Buddhism which emanated from outside of Japan would also greatly impact itself within the fabric of society.…
Attack on Gülen Movement Increasingly a Cornerstone of Turkey’s Foreign Policy in the Balkans Publication: Eurasia Daily Monitor By: Ebi Spahiu The Jamestown Foundation The recent coup attempt in Turkey (July 15–16) and the government’s domestic response have occupied a great deal of media attention over the past several weeks. But the broader geopolitical implications…
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