Confucianism and the piety of the Japanese artist Watanabe Kazan (1793-1841) Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Watanabe Kazan (1793-1841) was a very thoughtful artist who came from Japan. Ethics wise, the morality and wisdom of Confucianism impacted greatly on this exceptional artist. Therefore, Watanabe focused on helping ordinary people in the Tahara Domain…
Russian Federation and Saudi Arabia backed by OPEC are planning a long-term oil deal Sawako Uchida and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The Russian Federation and Saudi Arabia hope to finalize a deal, with the blessing of OPEC (Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries), which will benefit all concerned for the next decade or possibly…
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in a possible meeting with Kim Jong-un of North Korea Noriko Watanabe and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Tentative reports are stressing that a possible meeting may take place between Prime Minister Shinzo Abe of Japan and the leader of North Korea, Kim Jong-un. Of course, nothing is concrete at…
Myanmar and unity: Military Chief focuses on federalism and multi-party democracy Sawako Utsumi and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The nation of Myanmar is on the path of consolidating multi-party democracy and is focused on reaching out to fellow Asia Pacific nations and further afield. In recent times, military talks and developments with China,…
Ninth Century Japanese Art: Kose Kanaoka and the Cultural Richness of the Middle Kingdom Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times A great deal of information isn’t forthcoming in the English-speaking world when it comes to Kose Kanaoka. Indeed, even conjecture remains about the art he produced. This is based on the last known surviving…
North Korea pays homage to China before meetings with America and South Korea: Denuclearization? Kanako Itamae and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Kim Jong-un, the leader of North Korea, visited President Xi Jinping in China. Hence, it is clear that the old Middle Kingdom remains of utmost importance to North Korea despite some media…
Japan keeps a low profile in the Skripal case against Russia: Moscow should focus on the Asia Pacific Sawako Utsumi and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Anti-Russian Federation politicians based throughout the Northern Hemisphere accuse the Russian Federation of all things under the sun. Indeed, the media circus of Russophobia follows naturally. Hence, it…
Skripal Chemical Poisoning Case Throws Spotlight on Growing Russian LNG Supplies to UK Publication: Eurasia Daily Monitor By: Rauf Mammadov The Jamestown Foundation Prime Minister Theresa May issued a statement, on March 14, that the United Kingdom was evaluating other natural gas import options to decrease her country’s dependence on gas imports from Russia. The…
Art of Japan and Asai Chu: The altered artistic landscape Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The Meiji Restoration of 1868 led to many social convulsions and like all revolutionary periods you had many winners and losers. This applies to individuals who could adapt to the rapid changes in society. Hence, the art world was…
Hell or heaven can’t defeat the futility of life The beauty of life fades by the woe of age and time All that once was near, now but a blurred memory Even the joy of the early dew is now dead God and gods are meant to provide light Yet, the death of nature…
U.S. estranged policy towards terrorists utilizing Pakistan: Backward step under Trump Murad Makhmudov and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Terrorist and sectarian forces blight Afghanistan based on internal issues and the external intrigues of Pakistan. Hence, it is a very estranged policy by America to declare that Sunni Islamist terrorists will rarely amount to…
Japan fails to get United States tariff exemptions on steel and aluminum: Nikkei falls Chika Mori and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Prime Minister Shinzo Abe of Japan will quietly feel let down by President Donald Trump of America, in relation to failing to be exempted from tariffs imposed by America. Especially given the…
The US to enact up to $60 billion dollars in tariffs on China: President Trump and America First Kanako Itamae and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times President Donald Trump of America announced that tariffs against China could rise up to $60 billion dollars if China doesn’t respond to unfair trade. Trump signed the economic…
Japan Artist and English Landscapes: Laburnum Tree, Brailsford Church, and Shinto Themes Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The recent oil painting by Sawako Utsumi, a Japanese contemporary artist, of a laburnum tree fits eloquently with her watercolor of a Christian Church in Brailsford, Derbyshire. This is based on the connection of the color yellow…
IPT Exclusive: Government-Tied Turkish Organizations Support Global Jihadists and Islamists by Abha Shankar IPT News Investigative Project on Terrorism Turkish organizations with close ties to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s administration are partnering with, and supplying aid to, global jihadists and Islamist groups, a study by the Investigative Project on Terrorism (IPT) finds. For example, a…
Folklore of Japan and Onset of Abandonment: Death and love Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Japanese folklore focuses on an array of subjects, from the beauty of light to areas of extreme darkness. The subject area involving oyasute (the abandonment of a parent – or relative) and ubasute (the abandonment of an elderly female…
Art of Japan and richness of religion: Modern times and fusions of the past Tomoko Hara and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The Shinto faith runs deep throughout Japanese religion even when outwardly Buddhism may appear predominant. This is based on fusions and gentle ideas that have penetrated various different Buddhist sects. Indeed, even…
President Trump strengthens democracy by signing the Taiwan Travel Act Chika Mori and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times President Tsai Ing-wen of Taiwan is a very robust and outward-looking politician who seeks to entrench this progressive democratic nation internationally. Hence, the knowledge of President Donald Trump of America signing the Taiwan Travel Act bodes…
Myanmar reaches out militarily during ASEAN Chiefs of Defense Forces meeting held in Singapore Chika Mori and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The government of Myanmar is focused firmly on reaching out internationally in the realm of economic investments, development projects, and forging closer military ties with regional nations – and further afield in…
Proposed Anti-Tank Missile Sale to Turkey, Qatar Raises Concern by John Rossomando Investigative Project on Terrorism Advanced anti-tank missiles that Raytheon and Lockheed Martin plan to sell to Turkey and Qatar could end up in the hands of jihadists, a member of the Syrian Democratic Council (SDC) told the Investigative Project on Terrorism (IPT).…
Art of Japan and Sekka: Tranquility despite upheavals Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times If you view the sublime simplicity of art by Kamisaka Sekka (1866-1942) then it is difficult to image the enormous convulsions that hit Japan in this period. Indeed, the lifespan of this amazing artist witnessed many revolutionary changes within Japanese society…
The U.S. is abandoning the Kurds in Afrin while seeking to defend Islamist terrorists in Eastern Ghouta Boutros Hussein and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times NATO Turkey is using Islamist Takfiris and mercenaries to massacre the Kurds and others in the environs of Afrin in Northern Syria. Yet, while America is abandoning the Kurds…
Japan poetry and impact of the Middle Kingdom: Abe no Nakamaro (698-770) Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The eighth-century Japanese scholar and poet, Abe no Nakamaro (698-770), belongs to the cultural world that was inspired by the Middle Kingdom (China). From a very young age, he showed exemplary skills suited to the world of…
March 11 Earthquake and Tsunami of 2011: Japanese Fire Brigade Heroes of Otsuchi to Fleeing Embassies Kanako Itamae and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times March 11, 2011, will forever be etched in the consciousness of Japan because of the brutal reality of the Great East Japan Earthquake that triggered a brutal tsunami. Indeed, even…
Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia says Turkey is part of the “triangle of evil” Murad Makhmudov and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Sweeping changes are on the way in Saudi Arabia under Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Hence, increasing rights for women despite the low base, the Crown Prince visiting a Coptic Christian cathedral…
Japan remains cautious over talks between America and North Korea Chika Mori and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Events on the Korean Peninsula seem to be moving quickly based on the prospect of President Donald Trump meeting Kim Jong-un, the leader of North Korea. This prospect comes after many months of hostile rhetoric between…
President Trump of America is open to meeting the leader of North Korea Kanako Itamae and Sawako Uchida Modern Tokyo Times Recent hostility on the Korean Peninsula based on a war of words, missile testing by North Korea, continuing militarization of South Korea and North Korea, and other negatives, may be witnessing a major U-turn.…
Kanae Yamamoto (Part Two) and art of Japan: Europe and Socialism Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times In my first article about Kanae Yamamoto (1882-1946), the emphasis was on his childhood, areas related to poverty during his early years, and how he left for Europe in 1912. Therefore, this article will further focus on the…
Myanmar and Japan to hold the third Joint Economic Conference: Participation of Keidanren Sawako Utsumi and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The government of Japan is intent on working closely with Myanmar in order to build-up greater economic links between both nations. Hence, the third economic business initiative will be held under the Myanmar-Japan…
Japan seeks a mild approach to President Trump and the threat of aluminum and steel tariffs Kanako Itamae and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The government of President Shinzo Abe of Japan seeks a mild approach towards the threat of aluminum and steel tariffs by America. This is based on important geopolitical concerns and…
The election in Italy witnesses a North-South split and boost for anti-establishment parties Chika Mori and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The election result in Italy equates to a complex picture based on an important North-South split, and no clear mandate for any single political party. Hence, two political parties representing the anti-establishment bloc…
Pierre Bonnard and Japanese art: Examining the inner Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Pierre Bonnard was born in 1867 in France. Hence, he was born one year before the Meiji Restoration in Japan. His father had hoped that Bonnard would become a barrister but clearly, Bonnard was destined for the art world. In the…
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