Syria and the Uighur Takfiri group that set up a Palestinian sub-unit: China is concerned Ramazan Khalidov and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Palestinians are being utilized by Sunni Islamists in several conflicts where fellow Arabs, Coptic Christians, Alawites, the Shia, and others, are being killed. This applies to conflicts and intrigues in…
Kanae Yamamoto and Japan art: Economic perils of his early life (Part One) Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The artist Kanae Yamamoto (1882-1946) witnessed many momentous historical events throughout his lifetime. Yet, despite the waves of changeable times – irrespective if modernization or militarization, this famous artist remained passionate about art and depicted many…
Multi-ethnic and multi-religious Myanmar is trying to solve many protracted conflicts 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. However, the international media is…
Islamist Terror Threat As Strong As Ever, Dutch Intelligence Warns by Abigail R. Esman Special to IPT News Investigative Project on Terrorism It has become “the new normal,” a structural part of 21st-century life. And the jihadist threat against the West is just as strong now as ever. These are the conclusions of “The Legacy…
Iran and the state apparatus that crushes dissent: Elitist oppression and Evin Prison Murad Makhmudov, Chika Mori, and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The nation of Iran is using the state apparatus in order to crush countless demonstrations that break out from time to time. Hence, the judiciary made it known earlier this year…
Takeshiro Kanokogi and art of Japan: The influence of France Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The Japanese artist Takeshiro Kanokogi was born in 1874 during the infancy of the Meiji Restoration that began in 1868. Yet, by the time of his death in 1941, much had changed about Japan. Therefore, one can only imagine…
Japan art and Confucianism: The Bleak reality of Seppuku for a thoughtful artist 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 paid…
Intrigues in Kosovo aimed at inciting Serbia hints Russia: Orthodox Christians in chains Murad Makhmudov and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The one binding reality of the foreign policy objectives of America and the United Kingdom, irrespective of the political party in power in America, is the anti-Christian reality that usually emerges. For example,…
Quad Restrictions: Addressing PRC Investment Concerns in the Indo-Pacific By: Ashley Feng, Sagatom Saha The Jamestown Foundation Washington has recently taken a tougher tack to growing inbound investment from the People’s Republic of China (PRC) by strengthening the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), but its security partners in the PRC’s backyard…
Mohammed bin Salman and Saudi Arabia: Western media and Muslim Brotherhood intrigues Sawako Utsumi and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The nation of Saudi Arabia is faced with enormous pressure from certain quarters in the West based on hearsay against the reformist Crown Prince, Mohammed bin Salman. At the same time, Turkey, the leading…
Art of Japan and the female warrior Tomoe Gozen: The onna-bugeisha Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Tomoe Gozen is a famous female warrior in Japan who highlights the reality that women played various roles in Japanese society, outside the subservient model often portrayed. Indeed, even before the emergence of the samurai, females had learned…
Nissan scandal involving the under-reporting of 5 billion yen in income: Ghosn and greed Noriko Watanabe and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The Chairman of Nissan Motor Co., Carlos Ghosn, is being investigated for the alleged underreporting of some 5 billion yen in income over a period of five years. If the Tokyo…
Remembering the counter-terrorism and security expert Bahukutumbi Raman: India and Pakistan Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times It was with great sadness in June 2013 that Modern Tokyo Times heard about the death of Bahukutumbi Raman, who was a foremost expert in the field of counter-terrorism, national security, and geopolitics in India. Raman passed away…
Tunisian Ennahda’s ‘Secret Apparatus’ Draws Comparisons to Brotherhood Origins by Hany Ghoraba Special to IPT News Investigative Project on Terrorism A lawsuit accusing Tunisia’s Ennahda Movement of plotting the assassination of two political opponents poses the most serious challenge to the Muslim Brotherhood-affiliated group since its 1981 inception. Mohamed Brahmi and Chokri Belaid were killed…
Art of Japan and Sado Island: Trilogy of Nichiren in the Snow during his exile Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Nichiren (1222-1282) is one of the most famous Buddhist teachers to emanate from Japan. Yet, he was very outspoken during his lifetime and this led him to be exiled and embroiled in the political…
Cyber-security minister in Japan isn’t keen on using computers: Abe and cronyism Chika Mori and Kanako Itamae Modern Tokyo Times The minister in charge of cyber-security in Japan, according to reports, has never bothered to use a computer during his working life. Obviously, following on from this, he doesn’t know much about the in-depth…
China, India, and the Russian Federation understand Myanmar’s struggle against Islamist terrorism Murad Makhmudov and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times China, India, and the Russian Federation continue to express their support for the government of Myanmar. Indeed, given certain animosities between China and India over border issues – and China’s role in Pakistan –…
Myanmar leader says, “Southeast Asia’s final frontier market” but based on “social cohesion” Sawako Utsumi and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The State Counsellor of Myanmar, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, touted this nation for being “Southeast Asia’s final frontier market with innumerable investment opportunities.” However, true to the nature of this esteemed leader,…
Japanese art and Claude Monet Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Claude Monet was a very important French Impressionist artist and despite new movements including Cubism and Fauvism, he remained committed to Impressionism. Another major art theme that would shape Monet was Japanese ukiyo-e because he became smitten by the contrasting approach to art. Therefore,…
South Caucasus Eyes Becoming a Hub Along EU–China Transportation Route Publication: Eurasia Daily Monitor Volume: 15 Issue: 158 By: Ayaz Rzayev, Vasif Huseynov The Jamestown Foundation On October 15, the European Union adopted a new strategy on connecting Europe and Asia (Consilium.europa.eu, October 15), which became a major theme at the latest Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM)…
Sporadic protests in Iran are aimed at corrupt theocratic and political elites Chika Mori and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Protests in Iran are often sporadic and vary in size but they are a reminder that the political and religious elites are alienating many Iranians. Of course, the disenchantment of protestors is based on…
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…
Zen Buddhism and Japanese Art: Taking Rinzai Buddhism to the rural poor 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,…
Japan art and one-sided love: Frailty of life despite his boundless love of Paris Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Yuzo Saeki is one of the most intriguing artists to have left the shores of the land of the rising sun. Sadly, his time on this earth was extremely limited because he perished when he…
Violence Continues as Pakistani Islamists Protest Christian Woman’s “Blasphemy” Acquittal IPT News Investigative Project on Terrorism Thousands of Islamist demonstrators in Pakistan continue to violently protest the acquittal of Asia Bibi, a Christian woman who was falsely accused of blasphemy and spent the last eight years on death row. Protesters clashed with police, burned cars…
Contemporary Japanese artist and L. S. Lowry in Full Bloom by Sawako Utsumi Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The contemporary Japanese artist, Sawako Utsumi, adores a plethora of different art styles fused from her native Japan and a mixture of European artists. This notably applies to the Dutch Masters of the sixteenth and seventeenth…
Myanmar by-election and the entrenchment of democracy: Multiple parties and ethnic vitality Sawako Utsumi and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The international media often focuses on the same spin in relation to Myanmar. Hence, it is difficult to know if the “free press” is that free? This fact is being witnessed again in relation…
Japanese art and the small window of Nagasaki: The Chinese artist Shen Quan (Nanpin) Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The Chinese artist Shen Quan (Nanpin) had a limited opportunity and a narrow window to view Japanese culture. This is based on entering the narrow window of Nagasaki for roughly two years because Japan was…
UK humanitarian aid projects in Yemen are being bombed by the UK backed bombing raids Michiyo Tanabe, Nawal Soueif, and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The crisis in Yemen is highlighting the utter moral bankruptcy of the United Kingdom (UK) government. This equally applies to other leading Western nations and Sunni Muslim nations that…
UK and Commonwealth betrayal in Pakistan: Remembering the Christian lady Asma Yaqoob Boutros Hussein, Noriko Watanabe, and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The coming to power of Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq in 1978 turned out to be a disaster for all religious minorities in this country, irrespective if a minority Muslim sect or non-Muslims. Of course,…
Language-Motivated Emigration of Russians Causes Shortage of Qualified Workers in Kazakhstan Publication: Eurasia Daily Monitor By: Farkhad Sharip The Jamestown Foundation In mid-October, the nationalist-leaning Qazaquni.kz website, run by the Ak Zhol (Democratic Party) of Kazakhstan, published an appeal to Russian-speaking compatriots, calling on them to learn Kazakh. The article stresses that “it is not…
Buddhist monk Jien and a window into old Japan (1155-1225): Poetry and history Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The elite nature of Japanese Buddhism began to change dramatically during the Kamakura Period (1185-1333) because many famous Buddhist leaders in this period would take the faith to all and sundry. Officially, the new era of…
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