Nicaragua accused of alleged extrajudicial executions under the leadership of Daniel Ortega Kanako Itamae and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times According to Amnesty International, the government of Nicaragua under President Daniel Ortega is being accused of state-sanctioned extrajudicial executions. This strong accusation is based on the deaths of 83 protestors in the last six…
Japanese Art and the intriguing nature of Hayami: Northern Renaissance to Bunjinga Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The artist Gyoshu Hayami (1894-1935) was born in the Meiji era whereby Japan entered a period of rapid modernization. However, his art belongs to the Taisho and Showa periods of Japanese history because he was too young…
Moscow Set to Establish Second Military Base in Kyrgyzstan Publication: Eurasia Daily Monitor By: Paul Goble The Jamestown Foundation After almost five years of fits and starts on the question, Moscow is set to open a second military base in Kyrgyzstan. With this strengthened military presence, Russia will be in a better position to respond…
The Defeat of ISIS in Iraq and the role of Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani Murad Makhmudov and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani, the most senior holy Shia religious leader in Iraq, openly declared a religious fatwa against Takfiri Islamists that threatened to overrun this nation. Hence, the Grand Ayatollah appealed…
Korean nationalism is overcoming apprehensions in America: Summit being pursued Chika Mori and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times President Donald Trump of America is open to meeting the leader of North Korea, Kim Jong-un. Yet, certain high-ranking individuals in the Trump administration tried to damage this opportunity by threatening the Libya scenario. However, it…
Shadow of NATO, Narcotics, and Sharia: Iran and the flow of drugs from Afghanistan Boutros Hussein, Noriko Watanabe, and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The Islamic Revolution in Shia Iran was meant to usher in a society based on conservative Muslim morals based on Sharia Islamic law. Yet, many decades later then clearly “emptiness”…
Japanese Art and the Rich Legacy of China and Confucianism: Tanomura Chikuden 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…
Language Advocate Tashi Wangchuk Sentenced to Five Years Free Tibet Tibetan language advocate Tashi Wangchuk has been sentenced to five years in prison by a Chinese court, according to his lawyer Liangxio Jun. Campaigners have condemned the decision, stating that it shows “China’s legal rights are not worth the paper they are written on.” The…
The United States and North Korea merry-go-round: South Korea is in a fix Sawako Uchida and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The government of South Korea under President Moon Jae-in is in a bind because clearly, the leader of this nation seeks a fresh start with North Korea. Yet, he ill-judged the recent US-South…
The stunning garden designs of Chinzan-so: Fusion of Faiths and Ideas Kanako Itamae and Michel Lebon Modern Tokyo News The history of Chinzan-so (Chinzanso) is fascinating because you have many historic remains. Hence, you feel like you are entering a different world that is far from modern Tokyo. This applies to the pre-Meiji period and…
Trump casts doubt on the planned summit meeting with North Korea: Swipe at China Chika Mori and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times President Donald Trump of America casts doubts that the planned summit meeting with the leader of North Korea will take place on June 12. Despite this, the leader of America is optimistic…
Art of Japan and the impact of Northern English cities on Sawako Utsumi Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times L.S. Lowry (1887-1976) and Sawako Utsumi come from two very different cultures that have been shaped by the respective faiths of Buddhism, Christianity, and Shintoism. Of course, in modern day Japan and the United Kingdom then…
Art of Zen Buddhism in Japan: 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 terms of wealth.…
Returning IS Fighters in the Balkans: Beyond the Immediate Security Threat Publication: Terrorism Monitor By: Ebi Spahiu The Jamestown Foundation Over the years, the nations of the Western Balkans have seen about 1,000 of their citizens join al-Qaeda’s Syria wing, Jabhat Fateh al-Sham (formerly known as Jabhat al-Nusra), and move on to join so-called Islamic…
Rinzai Buddhism and the Buddhist artistic outreach of Sengai Gibon Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The inner-soul of Sengai Gibon (1750-1837) was always multidimensional and the flow that linked all fusions was Buddhism. Artistic wise, we will never know the real capabilities of Sengai because his art and writings were based on simplicity,…
President Trump is trying to calm the concerns of North Korea Hiroshi Saito and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times President Donald Trump of America is trying to calm the genuine concerns held by North Korea. This is visible by the words stressed by Trump and putting cold water on events that happened in Libya.…
The Democratic Republic of Congo gets doses of the Ebola vaccine to help against deadly outbreak Kanako Itamae and Chika Mori Modern Tokyo Times The deadly Ebola virus is spreading in parts of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Hence, it is heartening to know that this nation just received the first batch of the…
Japan’s economic splutter in the first quarter bodes ill for Prime Minister Abe Noriko Watanabe and Sawako Uchida Modern Tokyo Times Prime Minister Shinzo Abe of Japan needs some good news because of the recent political climate in this nation. However, the first economic splutter in two years during the first quarter of 2018 sums…
Female Literature in old Japan: Michitsuna no Haha 935-995 Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The Japanese female writer (diarist) and waka poet Michitsuna no Haha (Michitsuna’s mother) was born in 935 and she passed away in 995. Her writings, or diaries of truth and lament, highlight the trials and tribulations that she faced during…
US Embassy opens in Jerusalem: Trump blames Hamas for the deaths of Palestinians by Israel Murad Makhmudov and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The opening of the United States embassy in Jerusalem infuriated many Palestinians. Hence, having been whipped up into a frenzy by Hamas and other forces within the Palestinian political structure, then…
Independent Shia cleric Sayyid Muqtada al-Sadr is doing well in the Iraq election Chika Mori and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The enigmatic Shia cleric, Muqtada al-Sadr, is doing well during the early count in the election in Iraq. At the moment, the final result isn’t known but it appears that his showing is…
Christian Churches attacked by Islamist family in Indonesia leaves at least 13 dead Noriko Watanabe and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The city of Surabaya in Indonesia witnessed suicide attacks against three Christian churches that left at least 13 people dead. It is known that the Sunni Islamists belonged to the same family and…
Cameroon and the menace of Islamist terrorism: Boko Haram and Amnesty International Sawako Uchida and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The nation of Cameroon is on the frontline in fighting the barbarity of Boko Haram terrorism. Yet, reports by human rights organizations, including Amnesty International, are often “useful tools for Sunni Takfiris.” Hence, latest…
Art and culture flourished under the Japanese warlord Oda Nobunaga in the 16th century Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The warlord Oda Nobunaga (1534-1582) was extremely multi-dimensional despite his harsh reputation. This single figure in Japanese history laid the foundation stone for the centralization of Japan based on his tenacity, creativity, openness to new…
UK, Japan Companies Help China to Counter US’s Tech Leverage By: Matt Schrader The Jamestown Foundation With the help of major tech companies from the UK and Japan, China may be poised to take an important step towards isolating its microchip supply chain from US pressure, as the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) accelerates an indigenous…
Narashige Koide and art of Japan: Intriguing artist Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Yoga (Western-style) portraiture art and expressions of still life by Narashige Koide remain deeply embedded when thinking about this artist. Koide continued to develop through his relatively short life because he died at the age of 43. Near the end of…
Trump pulls out of Iran nuclear deal to the joy of the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia Sawako Utsumi and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia will appear vindicated for his anti-Iran policies, on the news that America will pull out of the nuclear deal with Iran.…
Afghanistan mosque attack leaves at least 17 dead: No open society is being pursued Murad Makhmudov and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Irrespective of who is the leader of Afghanistan or the United States, the same instability blights this nation. At the same time, lack of trust with Pakistan continues in Afghanistan and upon…
Mega-banks in Japan threaten major job loses based on changing times Chika Mori and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Megabanks in Japan are threatening major job losses over respective periods of time to offset changing technology, client usage habits, a changing financial market, and the need to boost profitability based on restructuring. However, in…
Art of Japan and the unconventional approach of Soga Shōhaku (1730-1781) Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The Japanese artist, Soga Shōhaku (1730-1781), was born into a wealthy household during the Edo Period. Yet, the comfort of wealth was of no solace to this intriguing artist because all members of his immediate family had…
Myanmar is trying to restore order and solve many protracted conflicts: U.N. is out of touch Sawako Utsumi and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The government of Myanmar and the armed forces of this nation are trying to restore order, foster greater ties with regional nations and further afield, and maintain the democratic path.…
Yokoyama Taikan and art of Japan: Creativity and the sentiments of the time Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Yokoyama Taikan (1868-1958) was born in the prefecture of Ibaraki but he moved to Tokyo in 1878. This period of history in Japan would witness many events because time didn’t stand still during the Meiji, Taisho,…
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