Japan and Military Normalization to Enable Enhanced Regional Relations Takeshi Hasegawa, Murad Makhmudov, and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The government of Japan under Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is paving the way for gradual military normalization boosted by the political reality of this nation in 2017. Of course, the internal liberal agenda will be…
Ninth Century Japanese Art: Kose Kanaoka and the Respectful Mirage Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The ninth century artist Kose Kanaoka remains elusive in many areas because sadly a fire destroyed his last known documented art piece in the seventeenth century. At the same time, enormous respect and homage to Kose Kanaoka mean that…
Glimpses of Meiji and Taisho Japan through the Lens of a camera 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…
Elitist Macron of France threatens Visegrad nations: He warns Poland but what about Crime and Terrorism? Noriko Watanabe and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Emmanuel Macron, the French globalist from a traditional elite background, is showing that bread and butter issues mean little to him. Equally important, Sunni Islamist terrorism and radicalism is growing…
Russian Federation and Japan seek all Parties to Defuse Tensions on the Korean Peninsula Sawako Uchida and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The Russian Federation and Japan called for the need to defuse tensions on the Korean Peninsula. This call was made during a meeting between President Vladimir Putin of the Russian Federation and…
New Uzbek President Courts Moscow During State Visit Publication: Eurasia Daily Monitor By: Fozil Mashrab The Jamestown Foundation Uzbekistan’s new head of state, President Shavkat Mirziyaev made his first official visit to Moscow, on April 4–5. Though the visit was in fact the Uzbekistani leader’s third foreign trip as president, after traveling to neighboring Turkmenistan…
Art of Japan and Adorable Art of Totoya Hokkei (1780-1850) Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Totoya Hokkei (1780-1850) was born during the Edo Period and while he passed away well before the Meiji Restoration of 1868, it is clear that Western art was increasingly encroaching during the later period of his lifetime. Of course,…
A Typical Day in NATO Turkey under Erdogan: 1,000 Arrested in Fresh Purge Nuray Lydia Oglu, Chika Mori, and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Turkey under President Tayyip Erdogan is turning into an enormous police state but despite the vast numbers of people arrested – and losing jobs – nothing seems to count for…
Japanese Minister in Shameful Comment about Tohoku: Tsunami, Nuclear Crisis, and Tokyo Centric Sawako Utsumi and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Masahiro Imamura, a Cabinet Minister in the government of Shinzo Abe, made a disgraceful comment about the Tohoku region. He implied, openly, despite later squirming, that “it was rather good” that the Tohoku…
Karim Cheurfi: From the Cauldron of Prison to the Streets of Paris by Patrick Dunleavy IPT News Investigative Project on Terrorism The initial reports regarding Islamic terrorist Karim Cheurfi, the man responsible for the latest attack that killed French police officer Xavier Jugele and wounded several others, contained the all-too-familiar phrase – “known to authorities.”…
Japan Art and Watanabe Kazan: Artist, Ideals of Confucianism, the State Apparatus, and Seppuku Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The artist Watanabe Kazan (1793-1841) highlights the fact that social mobility could break the alleged stratification of old Japan. After all, he was born into a samurai family that was relatively poor. Despite this, Watanabe…
Italy and Migrant Crisis: NGOs colluding with Smugglers and Arab slavery of black Africans in Libya Sawako Uchida and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Carmelo Zuccaro, an Italian prosecutor, claims to have major evidence that several charities are involved with smugglers that are making vast wealth on the misery of vulnerable people. Indeed, if…
The Pope should politicize in Saudi Arabia and lambast the OIC: He Shames “Real” Concentration Camps Ramazan Khalidov and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The current Pope of the Roman Catholic Church appears to care little about what many indigenous Europeans are worried about, nor does he address the cleansing of Alawites, Christians, Shabaks,…
Afghan Army slaughtered by outnumbered Taliban fighters: Islamic and NATO destabilization path Murad Makhmudov, Chika Mori, and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The Taliban, despite being massively outnumbered, have managed to kill well over 140 soldiers from the Afghan army. Reports are still contradictory in relation to the final death toll but it appears…
Tanomura Chikuden and Art of Japan: Bunjin-ga, China, and Confucianism Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Tanomura Chikuden (1777-1835) graced the world of Japanese art because he flowed naturally within the world of bunjin-ga (literati painting) during the Edo Period. He, and other bunjin-ga artists, equally highlight that while Japan was mainly isolated based on…
South Korea’s Presidential Election: Implications for China Publication: China Brief By: Darcie Draudt The Jamestown Foundation The South Korean presidency was scheduled to change hands later this year, but Park Geun-hye’s official removal from office in March 2017 has accelerated the turnover in leadership, with elections scheduled for May 9 (Joongang Daily, March 15). During…
Robert Mugabe, 93, scoffs at Anti-Mugabe Alliance in Zimbabwe Sawako Utsumi and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times President Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe at the ripe old age of 93 is still adamant that he will not hand over the reigns of power. Of course, Mugabe knows full well that Zanu-PF can manipulate and utilise…
The United States now Ushers a Conciliatory Tone towards North Korea: Regional Pressure? Shuchun Zhang and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times It appears that the administration of President Donald Trump is rethinking its policy towards North Korea. Of course, the situation still remains volatile based on recent comments in the corridors of power in…
Japanese Poetry and Abe no Nakamaro (698-770): Tang Dynasty of the Middle Kingdom Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The Japanese scholar and poet, Abe no Nakamaro (698-770), resided in the world of the Middle Kingdom, where the predominance of Chinese culture and influence flowed naturally in Korea, Japan, Vietnam, and other regional areas. In…
How Erdogan’s Victory Might Be Europe’s Defeat by Abigail R. Esman Special to IPT News Investigative Project on Terrorism Over lunch in Istanbul last week, a friend and I spoke about the upcoming Turkish referendum. “Many European Turks are likely to vote ‘yes,’” I cautioned my friend, whom I knew was planning to vote ‘no,’…
EU should charge Nations and Charities for Encouraging Mass Migration: OIC, Free Ride, and Real Refugees Sawako Uchida and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The European Union (EU) needs to consider indigenous taxpayers and prioritise genuine refugees from the usurpation by politically correct charities, gullible politicians, smugglers, and creating an EU scapegoat for African…
America, China, and Russia should work together on the issue of North Korea Kanako Itamae and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The crisis on the Korean peninsula needs calmness in the corridors of power in Washington and Pyongyang respectively. Yet, in order to reach this, it is essential that the leading powers of America,…
Japanese Folklore and the Shinto Faith: Ghost Stories and Art Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Shintoism runs throughout the fabric of religion in Japan despite the powerful role of Buddhism within society. After all, Buddhism and other powerful influences including Confucianism emanate from outside this nation. Therefore, Shintoism influences folklore to various degrees throughout…
Baku-Beijing Relations and China’s Growing Interest in the South Caucasus Publication: Eurasia Daily Monitor By: Fuad Shahbazov The Jamestown Foundation This past January, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev attended a session on “The Silk Road Effect” at the 2017 World Economic Forum in Davos, alongside Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili (President.az, January 19). Presumably, the intention…
France and Tightening of the Ranks: Fillon, Le Pen, Macron, and Melenchon in a Tight Race Sarah Deschamps, Noriko Watanabe, and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times According to international media reports, the first round of the presidential elections in France was meant to be between Marine Le Pen and Emmanuel Macron. Le Pen supports…
Carnage in Syria after an attack by Takfiris aimed at Shia Muslims: Moral Outcry by Trump? Murad Makhmudov, Chika Mori, and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times A brutal Sunni Takfiri terrorist attack aimed at killing Shia Muslims – and government supporters – is known to have killed at least 126 people in Syria of…
Contemporary Japanese Artist: The Fading Spirit of Kano Chikanobu Awakened by Shintoism Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The contemporary Japanese artist Sawako Utsumi in her latest art piece titled The Fading Spirit of Kano Chikanobu Awakened by Shintoism, provides an adorable individual approach. This applies to a fusion of homage to Kano Chikanobu (1660-1728)…
Palm Sunday Bombing Underscores Depth of Egypt’s Anti-Christian Bigotry by John Rossomando IPT News Investigative Project on Terrorism Suicide bombings of two Coptic churches in Egypt Sunday by ISIS terrorists should not be viewed in isolation. The bombings killed 44 people and injured 100 more, and mark the deadliest in a series of attacks targeting…
Yukio Mishima: The Ultimate Ubermensch and the Last Great Japanese Author Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The genius of Yukio Mishima remains vivid today, just like it did yesterday. Indeed, unlike the authors of the modern world where passion is often a mere afterthought – or a planned narrative – the words of Mishima…
Haiti and the UN: Over 130 Sri Lankan Peacekeepers involved in Child Sex Ring and other Nations Noriko Watanabe and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The United Nations (UN) brought cholera to Haiti that killed vast numbers of people and now it turns out that mass sexual abuse of children happened by several forces.…
Syria and Khan al-Assal Massacre: A forerunner to False Chemical Flag in Khan Sheikhoun against Syria Murad Makhmudov and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times In Khan al-Assal over 150 people were brutally murdered by al-Qaeda affiliates and remnants of the Free Syrian Army (FSA) in 2013. Yet, the significance of Khan al-Assal applies to…
Venezuela: In a Hole, and Still Digging Phil Gunson Senior Analyst, Andes International Crisis Group Images of the bloodied face of Venezuelan opposition MP Juan Requesens, a vicious, diagonal gash across his left temple, graphically conveyed in recent days the lengths to which the government of President Nicolás Maduro appears prepared to go in order…
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