Art of Japan during the last years of Edo Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The Japanese artist Suzuki Kiitsu (1796-1858) created many stunning pieces of art. Ironically, despite belonging to the late Edo period, his stature continues to grow in the modern world. In recent years in Japan, many refined art exhibitions have highlighted…
Religious leaders in Sudan declare freedom of faith: Animism, Christianity, and Islam Murad Makhmudov and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Islamism and Arabization caused enormous convulsions in the recent history of Sudan. Indeed, in recent times the nation split into ethnic and religious lines with the creation of South Sudan. However, both Sudan and…
Art of Japan: Buddhist Monk and Winter Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Sawako Utsumi fuses a stunning landscape with a wandering Buddhist monk in the bleak midwinter of Japan. Indeed, the religious angle, be it Buddhism, Christianity, or Shintoism, is a theme that pops up often in her art. However, her faith is embedded…
Japan will not sign the United Nations Nuclear Ban Treaty based on geopolitics Sawako Utsumi and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Japan is protected by the nuclear umbrella of the United States. Hence with Northeast Asia being a major area of competing militaries that have nuclear weapons, then naturally Japan refuses to join the…
Afghanistan ISIS attack aimed at the Shia kills at least 24 Murad Makhmudov and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Another barbaric terrorist attack by ISIS (Islamic State – IS) aimed at Shia Muslims in Kabul killed at least 24 young people. Over many decades different Sunni Islamist terrorist groups have targeted the Shia in…
Weekly Covid-19 high in Tokyo on very few tests taken Kanako Mita and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The Tokyo coronavirus (Covid-19) crisis continues to look like a managed graph. Equally, the ebbs and flows have evolved around the postponed Olympics, to the re-election of the Tokyo Governor. Therefore, it is baffling to know…
South Korea suspected flu jab related deaths now reaches 36 Sawako Utsumi and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Many nations are worried about the impact of influenza and the coronavirus (Covid-19) at the same time during seasonal highs. Hence, while the elderly – and others – get the yearly flu jab, this year the…
Tokyo preparing to increase Covid-19 tests when the flu season starts Kanako Mita and Chika Mori Modern Tokyo Times The central government and the Tokyo Metropolitan Government (TMG) have been discussing the need to increase coronavirus (Covid-19) tests during the flu season. Obviously, with individuals, families, and businesses being concerned about this angle, it is…
Art of Japan and Sakai Dōitsu: Traditional art during the Meiji era Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The Japanese artist Sakai Dōitsu (1845-1913) was born in the last few decades of the Edo period. Yet, despite the revolutionary changes of the Meiji Restoration, his art is shaped by tradition. Hence, while many Japanese artists…
Iran and its endless Covid-19 crisis Kanako Mita and Noriko Watanabe Modern Tokyo Times The coronavirus (Covid-19) crisis in Iran is never-ending. Indeed, deaths began to emerge in February and since then it is an endless curve of death. Therefore, the longevity of coronavirus is putting enormous strains on society, especially for people already struggling.…
US firm alleges China hacking Japan Covid-19 projects: Skepticism is needed Sawako Utsumi and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga needs a calm head because these days China is being blamed for countless things. Often, without clear evidence that it is related to state involvement. According to an information security firm…
Japan to support the United Kingdom joining the Trans-Pacific Partnership Kanako Mita and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Recently the United Kingdom (UK) and Japan, in principle, signed an important trade deal. Of course, for the UK, this comes at an opportune time because of ongoing issues with the European Union (EU). It is…
French teacher beheaded by Islamist for teaching: Why refugee status? Sawako Utsumi and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Another brutal Islamist terrorist attack struck France once more. This time, the victim was beheaded for being a teacher and having the audacity to believe in freedom. However, in the mindset of the Islamist, his God…
PM Suga of Japan to visit Vietnam and Indonesia: Anti-China hawks need silencing Kanako Mita and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga claims to want to preserve the mantle of his predecessor, Shinzo Abe. Yet, some individuals in his Cabinet appear more hawkish towards China and the Russian Federation. Therefore, if…
Southeast Asia: Crucible of Indigenous Survival Special Contribution: Gideon Sim The misleading portrayal of Southeast Asia as an oasis of economic growth and calm in global media belies the boiling over of ethnic tensions and discontent. From Mindanao where Philippine government forces extrajudicially kill indigenous Lumad and Moro minorities; to West Papua where the Indonesian…
Art of Japan and Ishizaki Kōyō: His early path was set Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The artist Ishizaki Kōyō (1884-1947) hails from the prefecture of Toyama in Japan. He was the fifth born son of a merchant family. Therefore, from a very early age, his path was set and secure. Kōyō studied under…
Turkey increased military sales six-fold to Azerbaijan: Nagorno-Karabakh Sawako Utsumi and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Military sales by Turkey to Azerbaijan have increased six-fold this year. Alongside this, Turkey is utilizing international Islamist terrorists just like in Northern Syria and more recently Libya. Therefore, the conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh – and Turkey’s historical animosity…
Japan protests after China patrol incursion: Early test for PM Suga Noriko Watanabe and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga of Japan is facing his first geopolitical test after two Chinese patrol ships entered the vicinity of the Senkaku Islands. This comes shortly after recent anti-China stances according to political elites…
Armenian losses mount in Nagorno-Karabakh: NATO Turkey, terrorism, and France Kanako Mita and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Under President Erdogan of Turkey, this nation continues to meddle against the Arabic speaking and regional Christian world. It matters not if upsetting Gulf states by supporting Qatar and its role in backing the Muslim Brotherhood,…
2011 tsunami hit Minamisanriku to open a Memorial Park Sawako Utsumi and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The tragedy of March 11, 2011, will never be forgotten because of the sheer brutality of the Great East Japan Earthquake (2011 Tohoku Earthquake). Indeed, the convulsions of the potency of the earthquake triggered the tsunami that…
Brutal rape and murder of a two-year-old girl in Pakistan Noriko Watanabe and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times According to the charity Sahil in Pakistan, approximately 1,500 children have been raped in the first six months of this year. Hence, the latest murder and rape of a little girl aged two highlights a major…
Typhoon Chan-hom threatens to hit swathes of eastern and western Japan Kanako Mita and Chika Mori Modern Tokyo Times The Japanese Meteorological Agency is warning that Typhoon Chan-hom is approaching more outlying areas of Japan. This relates to eastern and western areas of Japan after passing through southern areas. At the moment, Typhoon Chan-hom is…
Art of Japan and time in a new light: Hōitsu and the Persimmon Tree by Utsumi Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times In these two adorable art pieces by the contemporary Japanese artist Sawako Utsumi, a different slant to the original by Sakai Hōitsu (1761-1829) emerges. In her reflection, the color narrative takes center stage.…
Travel between Japan and South Korea to restart similar to Singapore Kanako Mita and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The nations of Japan and South Korea have announced the restart of travel between both nations. Hence, the business communities of both nations and other forms of travel will resume on Thursday this week. South…
Japan art and the Edo artist Katsukawa Shunshō Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Katsukawa Shunshō was blessed with an independent artistic spirit. Of course, he understood the commercial angle of ukiyo-e but Shunshō wasn’t afraid to go against the grain. Outside Japan, Shunshō isn’t particularly famous but he produced many stunning art pieces. Indeed,…
Fast-tracking of Avigan is on the books in Japan Kanako Mita and Sawako Uchida Modern Tokyo Times The fast-tracking of Avigan (favipiravir) in Japan for Coronavirus (Covid-19) appears to be on the books. This relates to the Japanese government seeking to approve Avigan for treatment in November. Avigan is used for influenza but the speed…
Covid-19 deaths and infections in China are estranged: Why mainly Hubei? Sawako Utsumi and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Over one million people are known to have died from coronavirus (Covid-19) internationally. However, the initial epicenter of Hubei province in China remains an enigma. Therefore, while Wuhan in Hubei is synonymous with the coronavirus,…
The Japan government to shoulder all Covid-19 vaccination costs Kanako Mita and Chika Mori Modern Tokyo Times The Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare in Japan had its proposal by the Health Sciences Council approved. This relates to providing free coronavirus vaccinations (Covid-19) to all people who reside in Japan. Therefore, Japanese and foreign residents…
DRC and another sex scandal involving the WHO during the Ebola crisis Sawako Utsumi and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Various organizations within the United Nations (UN) – just like charities and humanitarian groups outside the UN – have been involved in countless sex scandals and the rape of children. Hence, even during the…
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