Belgium: 119 Islamic Institutions Investigated for Extremism in 2016 By IPT News Investigative Project on Terrorism Belgian authorities investigated 58 mosques and 61 Islamic associations in 2016 in an effort to counter the spread of radical Islamist ideology, according to the country’s justice minister and reported by the Brussels Times. The data suggests that one…
Trump and Mattis not on the same Hymn Sheet over North Korea: South Korea and Japan Chika Mori and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times It appears that North Korea is intent on upping the ante against the policies of America and South Korea, in relation to Washington’s geopolitical objectives on the Korean Peninsula. This…
China and Russia take a nuanced approach to North Korea after missile flew over Japan Sawako Uchida and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times North Korea was rebuked rapidly by America, Japan, and South Korea after a missile flew over Hokkaido in northern Japan. However, China and the Russian Federation, while condemning North Korea’s approach…
Hindus killed in Myanmar after ARSA attack: Army evacuates 4,000 Buddhists and Hindus Boutros Hussein, Noriko Watanabe, and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The armed forces of Myanmar have evacuated approximately 4,000 non-Muslims, the vast majority being Buddhists and Hindus after Islamic forces within the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) launched attacks against military…
Zen Buddhism and Japanese Art: the Inspirational Life of Hakuin Ekaku Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The holy Buddhist monk Hakuin Ekaku revived the school of Rinzai Buddhism based on taking Zen Buddhism far and wide. Indeed, his upbringing meant that he never lost touch with people at the bottom of the ladder, in…
Disruption Under the Radar: Chinese Advances in Quantum Sensing Publication: China Brief By: Elsa Kania, Stephen Armitage The Jamestown Foundation This piece builds upon prior research and analysis on Chinese advances in quantum information science and quantum technologies, previously featured in China Brief in the series “China’s Quantum Leap,” parts one and two. Today,…
Shia Muslims Killed in brutal Mosque attack by Sunni Islamists in Afghanistan Murad Makhmudov and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The Shia of Afghanistan faces a fresh wave of Sunni Islamist hatred just like their co-religionists in other nations, for example, Iraq and Pakistan. Hence, ISIS (Islamic State – IS) and the Taliban –…
Russian Federation declares a Special Economic Zone in Disputed Area with Japan Chika Mori and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev of the Russian Federation signed an important economic document in an area that Japan disputes. Of course, for the Russian Federation, the document that designates a special economic zone that…
Art of Japan and Eishōsai Chōki: Ladies of Beauty in Sublime Simplicity Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Very little is known about the Japanese artist Eishōsai Chōki apart from the rich art he produced. It is widely speculated that he was a pupil under the culturally esteemed Toriyama Seiken just like Utamaro. However, in…
Sunni Islamists using Children and Babies to Butcher in Nigeria Paul Joseph Nzeribe, Noriko Watanabe, and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The endless twisted morality of Sunni Islamists is beyond any rationality, therefore, blowing up babies and using children is a growing part of this utter barbarity in Nigeria. In other words, in the…
Muslim Brotherhood Groups Increasingly Open in Endorsing Anti-Sisi Violence in Egypt By John Rossomando IPT News Investigative Project on Terrorism A group of exiled Morsi-era Muslim Brotherhood politicians based in Istanbul has posted on Facebook a blueprint for overthrowing Egypt’s military regime. The Egyptian Revolutionary Council (ERC) reposted several videos on July 31 that it…
Japan Art and Shini-e: Death Prints Commemorating Artists, Kabuki Actors, and Musicians Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The world of ukiyo-e in Japan also covered the world of death by mainly commemorating artists, kabuki actors, and musicians through the medium of art. True to nature, farewell poems were included along with posthumous names linking…
500 Killed in Deadly Floods that have hit South Asia: Bangladesh, India, and Nepal affected Sawako Utsumi and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times According to media reports, approximately 500 people have perished because of deadly floods that have hit swathes of Bangladesh, India, and Nepal. Of course, with many remote areas being hit then…
U.S. Secretary of State condemns racism: Tillerson says, “We must pursue reconciliation” Sawako Uchida and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times President Donald Trump of America faces the reality of heightened tensions from people on both sides of the political divides. On top of this, the mass media, in general, is clearly ramping up endless…
Sunni Islamist Terrorist attack in Barcelona kills many in the heart of Catalonia Kanako Itamae and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Sunni Islamist terrorism is a growing reality in Europe based on the changing religious demographics of many major cities and Takfiri ratlines that spread hatred towards non-Muslims and minority Muslim groups alike. This…
Japanese Art and the Real Eternity’s Gate of Yuzo Saeki in the Mirror of Van Gogh 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…
President Moon Jae-in of South Korea warns against unilateral action against North Korea Chika Mori and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times President Moon Jae-in of South Korea is making it known that unilateral military action against North Korea is impermissible without the consent of South Korea. In other words, military rhetoric emanating from President…
Suspected Sunni Islamist Terrorist Attack in Burkina Faso Omar Abdullah Ismail and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Suspected Sunni Islamist terrorists have killed at least 18 people in a cafe attack in the capital of Burkina Faso. The brutal terrorist attack took place inside a cafe that was filled with local people and foreign…
Malaysia Kills a Talking Point IPT News Investigative Project on Terrorism In trying to cast their faith as tolerant and accepting of others, many Muslims like to point to the Quran’s verse 2:256: “There shall be no compulsion in [acceptance of] the religion,” it begins. It’s a comforting thought. While dawa, a form of proselytizing,…
Japan Art: Shadows of Sorrow and No Artistic Redemption for Yumeji Takehisa Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times In many nations powerful elites often control and abuse the political system based on special interests and secrecy. Given this reality, many individuals feel like “fodder” because so many dreams fail to materialize for the majority of…
North Korea and U.S. crisis: Russian Federation calls for a Double Freeze by all Vested Parties Noriko Watanabe and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The Russian Federation is increasingly worried by rhetoric emanating from the two leaders of America and North Korea. Hence, the Foreign Minister of the Russian Federation, Sergei Lavrov, is urging…
Africa and the Nation State: Ethnic and Religious Tensions Pierre Leblanc, Kanako Itamae, and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times South Sudan is a relatively new nation state but just like other older nations throughout Africa, you have countless serious issues. Events that are leading to brutal massacres in South Sudan are all too familiar…
China, Japan, Russia, and South Korea need to stem North Korea and the United States Sawako Uchida and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times China, Japan, the Russian Federation, and South Korea need to work together in order to contain saber rattling and endless militarization of the Korean Peninsula. Of course, militant rhetoric emanating out…
Ogata Korin and Japanese Art: Legacy Heightened by Sakai Hoitsu Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The art of Ogata Korin remains potent because of clarity and his own unique ways. However, at one point it appeared that the winds of time would threaten his legacy. If this had happened then Japanese art would have…
Armenia and Azerbaijan’s Evolving Implicit Rivalry Over Nakhchivan By: Eduard Abrahamyan The Jamestown Foundation The unprecedented escalation of violence, in April 2016, on the Line of Contact in the breakaway region of Karabakh had, in part, kick-started a new round of military preparations between Armenia and Azerbaijan (see EDM, April 6, May 5, 2016). But…
The United States is open to North Korea turning the corner: Tillerson and President Moon Chika Mori and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Rex Tillerson, the United States Secretary of State, is hoping that North Korea will respond to possible dialogue providing some good faith can be made. Of course, much depends on the…
Shia Civilians including Women and Children are butchered by Sunni Islamists in Afghanistan: Taliban and ISIS Jibril Khoury, Noriko Watanabe, and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Sunni Islamist Takfiri forces have butchered over 50 people, including women and children, in the province of Sar-e Pul in Afghanistan. It is reported that the majority of…
Art and Fusion of Japanese Culture: Kintaro and his many Representations Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Kintaro remains extremely popular in modern Japan because of the power of animation and other aspects of modern culture that maintains his rich visibility. In the Edo period, the world of noh, kabuki, and ukiyo-e provided a rich…
Mercosur Nations Suspend Venezuela and Request an Immediate Political Transition Sawako Uchida and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times South American nations are putting pressure on Venezuela because of the authoritarian tendencies of President Nicolas Maduro who rules this country. Hence, Mercosur, a powerful trade bloc in South America, suspended Venezuela after recent political events.…
America Blames Iran despite Sunni Takfiris Killing Internationally: Christians and Hezbollah Boutros Hussein, Chika Mori, and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times President Donald Trump of America was elected based on promises over the internal economy and re-energizing the nation state by focusing on equal trade agreements that envisage greater protection for American workers. Sadly,…
Sophisticated Australian Airplane Bombing Plot a Warning To the West by Abigail R. Esman Special to IPT News Investigative Project on Terrorism Australia’s arrest Saturday of four men suspected of plotting a terrorist attack on a commercial airliner signals more than a resurgent terror threat to airplanes. Because the alleged weapon involved smuggling explosives and…
Modern 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)…
