Art of Japan and the reality of poverty: The independent spirit of Eisen Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Keisai Eisen (1790-1848) learned to be independent at an early age because he chose a path that was fraught with economic danger. In a sense, Eisen represents aspects of “the real Edo period” for individuals who…
Gulf and NATO nations are concerned for 20,000 Sunni Islamist terrorists in Eastern Ghouta in Syria Murad Makhmudov and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Once more powerful NATO and Gulf nations – alongside a compliant press and media campaign – are trying to fool the international community in relation to Eastern Ghouta, Syria. In…
Japan to increase investments in Myanmar and boost trade: JCCM and UMFCCI agreement Sawako Utsumi and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The government of Japan understands the geopolitical importance of Myanmar and that China is seeking to increase its leverage in this nation. Equally, in many areas of the economy of Myanmar, it is…
President Xi Jinping of China is threatening the legacy of Deng Xiaoping: Power Concentration Kanako Itamae and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Deng Xiaoping radically altered China from a tainted one-party-state based on power concentration under an all-encompassing leader, into a party that focused on the path of modernization and furthering the wealth of…
Japanese art and Kawamura Kiyoo (1852-1934): Changing times but sublime continuity Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The Japanese artist Kawamura Kiyoo (1852-1934) created many amazing pieces of art during a period of rapid political change. He was born in the old world of the Edo Period (1603-1868) and he witnessed the modernization of the…
Great 2018 Winter Olympics for Japan: Female Speed Skaters led the way Noriko Watanabe and Chika Mori Modern Tokyo Times The 2018 Winter Olympics in South Korea is one that will stay in the memory of all Japanese lovers who adore sport. Hence, the welcoming city of Pyeongchang in South Korea will stay etched in…
Russophobia in America is containing Trump: Democrats, Republicans, and the Media Chika Mori and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Hardline Republicans and liberal Democrats who espouse Russophobia at the drop of a hat seek to put President Donald Trump of America into a bigger corner in 2018. It seems that terrorist ratlines by certain…
Protecting Afghan Women Is A National Security Issue by Abigail R. Esman Special to IPT News Investigative Project on Terrorism There was the woman whose husband sliced off her genitalia, and then reached inside her with his hand, damaging her inner organs. There was the woman whose husband cut off her ear. More commonly, there…
Japan art and the last Ukiyo-e knell of the Meiji Era: Western artists inspired by Japan Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Ukiyo-e art is especially linked with the Edo Period (1603-1868) but while this art form was being forced into the shadows based on the modernizing ramifications of the Meiji Period (1868-1912), the fact…
Russia is telling nations to rein in terrorist groups in Syria: Afrin and Eastern Ghouta Murad Makhmudov and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The Russian Federation is alarmed by the manipulation of events in Eastern Ghouta, Syria. This is based on the usual Western nations backing feudal Gulf kingdoms that support an array of…
China, Israel, and non-interference: Heavy investments and high technology Boutros Hussein and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel is increasingly focused on major Asian powers. Of major significance are China and India but other regional powers like Australia are equally being targeted along with Japan. Yet, the flow of…
Myanmar, the Russian Federation, and counter-insurgency: Sukhoi-30 and Yak-130 Sawako Utsumi and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Myanmar is intent on developing its armed forces because of various ethnic insurgencies, the growing threat of ARSA (Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army) Islamist terrorism in the shadow of the Bengali Muslim land grab in Rakhine, the intrigues…
Exile of the Holy Buddhist leader Nichiren in Japan and his representation in Art Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Nichiren (1222-1282) was born during a very unstable period in Japan because of internal political convulsions, the devastation of nature, and many Japanese individuals believed that the world was entering a bleak period based on…
Japanese Art and Kano Michinobu (1730-1790) Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The Kano school of art blessed Japan for many centuries after the founding fathers were born in the fifteenth century. However, like all traditional art forms, the Meiji Restoration of 1868 and endless modernization would eclipse the longevity of Kano artists. Despite this,…
Suspected Islamist terrorist attack in Dagestan in Russia: 5 Christian women killed in church attack Murad Makhmudov and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times A suspected Takfiri Islamist killed 5 Christian women in the republic of Dagestan in the Russian Federation. The brutal murder of innocent Orthodox Christian women took place after they were leaving…
Japan is having a great 2018 Winter Olympics: Kodaira and Hanyu win respective Gold Medals Sawako Uchida and Chika Mori Modern Tokyo Times The 2018 Winter Olympics in South Korea is going swimmingly for Japan in Pyeongchang based on the current rich haul of ten medals. Indeed, while Japan was extremely unlucky not to win…
Mexico is the most dangerous place to be a Catholic Priest: Lawlessness and drug cartels Noriko Watanabe and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times In many parts of the world you have war, religious persecution, failed states, international terrorist groups, and other negative realities. Yet, for Roman Catholic priests the most dangerous nation in the…
Kano Eitoku (1543-1590) and richness of Japanese art despite the warring times Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The Japanese artist Kano Eitoku (1543-1590) says much about the various dynamics of the Azuchi-Momoyama Period and the warlord Oda Nobunaga (1534-1582). This applies to the growth of Japanese art and culture despite the warring period…
Japan wants India to assist Myanmar to a higher degree: Confused by Trump administration Sawako Utsumi and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Yohei Sasakawa, the Special Envoy of Japan to Myanmar, is alarmed by the increasing role of China in the internal affairs of Myanmar and the aloofness of America under President Donald Trump.…
Japanese medals keep on flowing at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang Kanako Itamae and Sawako Uchida Modern Tokyo Times Japanese competitors are in a rich vein of form in South Korea because the medals keep on flowing at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang. Indeed, with a little bit more luck, the elusive gold…
President Zuma steps down to immediate effect in South Africa: Will ANC corruption end? Chika Mori and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times After relentless pressure, the embattled leader of South Africa finally steps down to immediate effect. Hence, President Jacob Zuma of the ruling African National Congress (ANC) is finally acknowledging the crisis inside…
Japanese art and the ethics of Confucius: the virtues of Tanomura Chikuden Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The Japanese artist Tanomura Chikuden (1777-1835) lived during the Edo period in the land of the rising sun. From a young age the teachings of Confucius appealed greatly during his young adulthood, therefore, Tanomura Chikuden thought heavily…
Christians face the Islamist sword in Nigeria: Boko Haram, the Fulani, and state indifference Sawako Uchida and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Christians in Nigeria continue to face the sword of Islam along with state indifference towards the followers of Christianity. In other words, 2018 continues to follow the usual pattern of massacres by…
Islamists Endorse Deadly Turkish Assault on Kurds by Hany Ghoraba Special to IPT News Investigative Project on Terrorism A full-fledged military assault on a predominantly Muslim community typically sparks a global wave of protests, condemnation, and sometimes calls by Islamist leaders for retaliation. This has not happened, however, with Turkey’s massive military assault on the…
Art of Japan and homage to Maurice Utrillo: the Hidden Soul 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, Utrillo is…
Japan strongly reaffirms important geopolitical and defense cooperation with Myanmar Sawako Utsumi and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The government of Japan reaffirmed its strong commitment to Myanmar in the area of geopolitics and defense cooperation. This is in line with China and the Russian Federation – and other Asia Pacific nations in the…
Christian martyr in Germany: Afghan Muslim sentenced for the brutal murder of a female apostate Boutros Hussein and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times In the lands of Afghanistan and Saudi Arabia, and others ruled by Islamic Sharia law, apostates to non-Muslim faiths face prison or death. Indeed, Sunni Islamists from al-Shabaab, Boko Haram, ISIS…
Art of Japan and Ando Hiroshige: Landscapes to being a Buddhist Monk Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Japanese art internationally focuses overwhelmingly on rich cultural angles in relation to high culture and adorable landscapes by Edo and early Meiji artists based on different artistic concepts. One of the most famous Japanese artists internationally, without…
NATO Turkey is allegedly recruiting ISIS members to kill Kurds in Syria: Afrin crisis Murad Makhmudov and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times According to The Independent media group, and other sources, NATO Turkey is recruiting ISIS (Islamic State – IS) sectarian terrorists and other Takfiri Islamists to kill Kurds in Northern Syria. This relates…
Japan and Brexit negotiations of the UK: Japanese business representative to meet PM May Chika Mori and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Tense negotiations between the United Kingdom (UK) and the European Union (EU) over Brexit remain problematic for Japan. This is based on either a soft landing or a hard landing, in the…
Korean Peninsula: Understanding between America, China, and Russia is needed 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, China, and the…
Zen Buddhist priest Mokuan Reien and Japanese Art: Fourteenth century China Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The Middle Kingdom (China) enticed the thirteenth century born Japanese Zen priest, Mokuan Reien, based on various religious and cultural factors. Of course, the role of China was extremely important for Japanese high culture, religion, philosophy, and other…
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