Buddhist art and Sesshū Tōyō: Bodhidharma, Huike, and artistic constraints Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The Japanese artist, Sesshū Tōyō (1420-1506), never questioned his Buddhist faith. Yet, in an artistic sense, he felt constrained by the time of his day. Indeed, the stunning and intriguing art piece titled Huike Offering His Arm to Bodhidharma…
Power concentration under President Xi Jinping of China: Deng Xiaoping warned against this 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 ordinary…
Art of Tokiwa Mitsunaga and the backdrop of political intrigues in twelfth-century Japan Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The period 1156 to 1185 witnessed many important events in Japan that would ultimately lead to a new period in Japanese history. In simple terms, the clash between the clans of Taira and Minamoto would witness…
LockerGoga wrecking havoc on cyber systems Horace C. White Modern Tokyo Times LockerGoga: Are manufacturing companies under threat? I.T.-based companies around the world are investing a sizable fraction of their revenues in building formidable cyber defense systems against viruses. For many of them, devoting a huge sum of their revenues to upgrading their firewalls and antivirus…
New Zealand: Will New Zealand Look to Australia to Expand Anti-Terrorism Legislation? Publication: Terrorism Monitor By: Brian M. Perkins The Jamestown Foundation On March 15, a mass shooting at the al-Noor Mosque and Linwood Islamic Centre in Christchurch, New Zealand left 50 people dead and at least 50 others injured. The suspect, Brenton Tarrant, is…
Army Chief of Staff calls for President of Algeria to be deemed unfit to rule Murad Makhmudov and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Lieutenant General Ahmed Gaid Salah, the Vice Minister of Defense of Algeria and the Chief of Staff of the People’s National Army, declared that President Abdelaziz Bouteflika is unfit to rule…
Fountains Abbey in Yorkshire through Japanese eyes: Buddhism, Christianity, and Shintoism Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The contemporary Japanese artist, Sawako Utsumi, who hails from Northern Japan, once more creates a lovely art piece. Spiritually, her background is based on Shintoism and tinged with Buddhism based on the cultural legacy. Yet, in general, the…
Cyber insurance may be the solution for preventing cyberattacks Horace C. White Modern Tokyo Times Cyberattacks impacting well-known brands In December 2018, the Modern Tokyo Times reported that one of the world’s leading hotel chains, Marriot International, came under heavy cyberattacks. In the report, the Modern Tokyo Times pointed out that the unknown cyber assailants…
Lull in Terrorism Masks a Deepening Jihadist Threat, Dutch Report Warns by Abigail R. Esman Special to IPT News Investigative Project on Terrorism It’s been a relatively quiet year for jihadists in the West, with only six attacks in Europe, compared to 20 in 2017. This, combined with the military fall of the Islamic State,…
EU to assist Myanmar in the education sector: Japan welcomes EU assistance Sawako Utsumi and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The European Union (EU) will assist Myanmar in the education sector to the tune of US$252 million dollars. This news is widely appreciated because State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi is intent on increasing…
Is a global Bill of Rights needed to protect digital privacy against China’s cashless systems? Horace C. White Modern Tokyo Times China’s Cashless Systems: A Flagrant Violation of Human Rights Technology keeps shaping our world every day. And the beauty of innovative technology is that it has no substitute. For instance, the United States automaker…
Michitsuna no Haha (935-995) and Japanese female literature 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 her…
Kano Michinobu (1730-1790) and Japanese art 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,…
Brutal Cyclone Idai hits Mozambique: President hints that 1,000 people may have perished Chika Mori and Sawako Uchida Modern Tokyo Times According to President Filipe Nyusi of Mozambique, the brutal Cyclone Idai may have killed at least 1,000 people. Sadly, despite the landfall hitting in the vicinity of Beira, a port city, on Thursday, it…
Poetry and art: Typhoons and earthquakes take asunder to this cold earth Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times In a flash, all love that was embraced was over The beauty of the child, the lady, the male, the grandparents, all gone No time to say goodbye or to protect The chanting Buddha, the prayer…
‘Special Outsider’: Russia Joins the Race for Global Leadership in Artificial Intelligence Publication: Eurasia Daily Monitor By: Sergey Sukhankin The Jamestown Foundation On February 26, the industrial director of the Rostec State Corporation, Sergey Abramov, declared that work on the fourth generation of the Ratnik future infantry combat system is underway. The system is said…
Are Banking Trojans on the rise? Horace C. White Modern Tokyo Times Banking Trojans increase by 16% in 2018 Moscow-based cybersecurity firm Kaspersky Lab Solutions has raised an alarm over the skyrocketing number of cyberattacks with popular malware, Banking Trojans. According to the cybersecurity company, Banking Trojans attacked about 889,452 users of its anti-phishing…
The poetry of Yamanoue no Okura (660-733?): Morals of Buddhism and Confucianism in old Japan Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The early life of Yamanoue no Okura (660-733?) remains shrouded in mystery. Hence, speculation of his birth, be it Paekche in Korea or in Japan is open to debate. Irrespective of this, it is…
The United Kingdom in continuing Brexit mess: PM May in a new major defeat Chika Mori and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Prime Minister Theresa May needs to look long and hard at her standing because once more the House of Parliament delivered a negative vote for the leader of the United Kingdom (UK).…
Why Egypt Works to Curb Hamas’ Influence in Gaza by Hany Ghoraba Special to IPT News The Investigative Project Egypt’s relations with Hamas have always been turbulent. Hamas was formed in 1987 as a Palestinian offshoot of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood, and Egypt considers the Brotherhood a terrorist group. But Egypt shares a border by…
March 11 Earthquake and Tsunami of 2011: Heroes of Otsuchi to Fleeing Embassies Kanako Itamae and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times This article is published in the memory of the “Fire brigade Heroes of Otsuchi” – and remembering how so-called friends of Japan fled quickly. The brutal events of March 11, 2011, will always…
Shintoism inside the consciousness of Japanese culture: Art to ghost stories to solace Chika Mori and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The endless winds of modernization and technological innovation is relentless in Japan. Hence, the religious dynamics of old Japan is but a ghost of its former self, just like the erosion of Christian…
Israel and NSO Group: Pegasus spyware found in over 40 nations is alarming journalists Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times In 2017, the NSO Group was highlighted by Modern Tokyo Times in relation to its spyware being used against journalists in Mexico. However, despite the negative human rights issue related to this Israeli company, it…
Tendai Buddhism and the Monk Jien (1155-1225): Timeless poetry Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The Buddhist monk Jien was born in 1155 and he passed away from this world in 1225. Yet, despite the passages of time, his historical writings and poems leave a lasting legacy. Therefore, Jien provides a glimpse into the world…
Will Apple revolutionize the media industry? Horace C. White Modern Tokyo Times Apple’s news subscription service to reshape the global media industry If the New York Times report is anything to go by, U.S. smartphone maker Apple is on the verge of launching its news subscription service before the end of this month. Already, Apple…
The hypocrisy of Organization of Islamic Cooperation against Myanmar: China and Yemen, anyone? Sawako Utsumi and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times It is hypocrisy of the highest for the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) to care about human rights. After all, from Saudi Arabia (Sunni Islam) to Iran (Shia Muslim), it is clear that…
Russia’s Armed Forces Expand UAV Strike Capability Publication: Eurasia Daily Monitor By: Roger McDermott The Jamestown Foundation Complementing the Russian Armed Forces’ drive to integrate Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (C4ISR) capabilities, growing interest additionally centers on the development of new unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV). This links to General Staff perspectives on…
Common cybersecurity standards a solution sites Huawei to allay US concerns Noriko Watanabe and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Huawei, understanding international concern about security risks is calling for the need for an international approach to allay fears of certain governments. This notably applies to America and staunch allies that have also spoken out…
Myanmar and the Arakan Army should hold talks on unity rather than boosting the Islamist dream Sawako Utsumi and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Myanmar is beset by many ethnic conflicts and clearly, Rakhine is known internationally based on the pro-Muslim narrative in relation to Bengali Muslims. However, the situation is extremely complex because…
Old Japanese photography of Kusakabe Kimbei and the mirage Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The Japanese photographer, Kusakabe Kimbei, was born in 1841 in Edo Japan and died in the 1930s during a period of heightened political tension in this nation. Hence, one can only imagine the things he witnessed throughout his life because…
Japan art and Buddhism: Dreaming of the old night view and the wisdom of Nichiren Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times In these two art pieces by the contemporary Japanese artist Sawako Utsumi, the theme flows from old Japan to the rich wisdom of the holy Buddhist cleric called Nichiren (1222-1282). In a sense, Utsumi…
Myanmar attracts investment from the Northeast Asian powers of China, Japan, and South Korea Sawako Utsumi and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The economic powers of Northeast Asia continue to view the future of Myanmar in a positive light. Hence, continuing investments, infrastructural projects, political goodwill, and the collective understanding of the many difficulties…
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