Japan election: PM Kishida elected after LDP and junior partner Komeito re-elected Kanako Mita and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and its coalition partner Komeito have been re-elected. Currently, the full election result isn’t known. However, polls and early results show the ruling LDP and Komeito passing the…
Tokyo knife attack on Keio Line then fire set on the train carriage Kanako Mita and Sawako Utsumi Modern Tokyo Times A young male branded a knife on the Keio Train Line in Tokyo. At least one person is in critical condition. It is known that 8 to 10 people were injured in the ensuing…
Rich elites ply COP26 in Glasgow: A city where poorer males die 15.4 years earlier Sawako Uchida and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Rich multi-millionaires representing many nations will ply the COP26 climate summit in the city of Glasgow in Scotland. However, just like CND (Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament) claimed that the end of the world…
Ethiopia crisis: Tigrayan forces claim to take a strategic town in Amhara Kanako Mita and Sawako Utsumi Modern Tokyo Times The conflict in Ethiopia is escalating again in Tigray and other joining areas. Henceforth, with Tigrayan forces claiming to have taken the town of Dessie in the region of Amhara, Ethiopian central forces and allies…
Art of Japan and exquisite birds by Yamamoto Kōitsu (1843-1905) Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The delightful art of birds depicted in this article by Yamamoto Kōitsu (Kōichi) is a wonder to behold. Indeed, the art piece titled White Heron on Hinoki Cypress is mesmerizing. Not a great deal is known about many areas…
Sudan on tenterhooks: Mass protests against the military coup Noriko Watanabe and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Mass protests are expected today in Khartoum and throughout the country against the recent military coup. Hence, the people of Sudan are on tenterhooks, given the possibility of further loss of life. International nations have frozen economic…
Iran’s Atrocious Human Rights Record Must Be Addressed Before New Nuclear Talks by Abigail R. EsmanIPT News Investigative Project on Terrorism There were days in a cramped, dark room. There were days and nights at Evin prison, with bright lights and interrogations and little or no sleep. And then there was the injection, a mysterious…
Japan election looms but apathy rules the day! Kanako Mita and Sawako Utsumi Modern Tokyo Times The nation of Japan isn’t meant to be governed by the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) decade after decade. Instead, Japan is meant to be a thriving democratic nation. However, in over six decades, the LDP usually emerges as the…
Art of Japan and Hōitsu: A delightful triptych of nature by this Buddhist monk Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Sakai Hōitsu (1761-1829) lived a rich life devoted to high culture. In the last few decades of his life, he became a Buddhist monk. Therefore, the flow of art, Buddhism, literature, poetry, and other refined…
President el-Sisi lifts the State of Emergency in Egypt: Anti-Christian attacks and Muslim Brotherhood Kanako Mita and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi will lift the State of Emergency that was imposed in April 2017. Following the first imposition, it was mandated every three months and maintained. However, with stability returning to…
Sudan in crisis after the military coup: PM Hamdok arrested Kanako Mita, Sawako Utsumi, and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times A State of Emergency in Sudan was declared by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan. This declaration took place after the armed forces arrested the civilian leadership. Therefore, Prime Minister Abdallah Hamdok – and other civilian leaders of…
Japan art and continuity despite rapid political changes: Sakai Dōitsu (1845-1913) Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Sakai Dōitsu (1845-1913) was a Japanese artist who witnessed the demise of the Edo period and the rapid changes of the Meiji era. However, he actually died during the early Taisho period that promised further modernization and greater liberty. …
China and Russia in joint navy patrol: the Sea of Japan, Western Pacific, and the East China Sea Kanako Mita and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times China and the Russian Federation completed their first joint naval patrol that entailed the East China Sea, the Western Pacific, and the Sea of Japan. The joint patrol…
PM Viktor Orbán of Hungary says, “We’re David who Goliath is best off steering clear of” Sawako Utsumi and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Prime Minister Viktor Orbán of Hungary waved to vast numbers of supporters in Budapest. The mass rally in support of Orbán and the Hungarian government was also reminded how Hungary…
Japanese Death Poem: The final moments of Prince Ōtsu (663-686) Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The final weeks and moments of the life of Prince Ōtsu (663-686) were full of shock and sadness. His father, Emperor Tenmu, provided hope and optimism that his future would be bright. However, the convulsions after the death of…
Japanese Buddhist poetry from centuries ago Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The holy Buddhist monk Jien (1155-1225) followed Tendai Buddhism. Naturally, with the passages of time and the political power dynamics of the day, it is important to enter his world. However, for Jien, “All the flowers are but the flower of the law”…
State of Emergency in Ecuador: “One enemy and that is drug trafficking” Kanako Mita and Sawako Utsumi Modern Tokyo Times President Guillermo Lasso of Ecuador announced a State of Emergency concerning drug trafficking and violent murders. The State of Emergency will be enforced for 60 days throughout the country. However, special attention will focus on…
Yemen and UNICEF says 10,000 known children killed or injured since the war began Noriko Watanabe and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Rich Gulf nations spend vast sums on owning European football clubs, buy expensive property all over the world in exclusive cities, buy yachts at unimaginable sums, go on Muslim religious pilgrimages, and…
Japanese Buddhist poetry: Saigyō, nature, and solitude Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The young Saigyō Hōshi (birth name Satō Norikiyo) was born to a noble family in Kyoto. However, the cultural dynamics were shifting because Buddhism was increasingly being questioned during his period of life – despite Buddhism remaining potent. Therefore, with Saigyō living between 1118-1190,…
Myanmar needs a National Salvation government: Neither side can win, only more suffering! Kanako Mita, Sawako Utsumi, and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The nation of Myanmar needs a National Salvation government to overcome the horrendous internal convulsions that threaten this nation-state. Min Aung Hlaing, the commander-in-chief of Defence Services (before the coup against State…
Poland decries EU threat of economic blackmail: Endless Visegrad disrespect Sawako Utsumi and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Poland is adamant that its dispute with the European Union (EU) should be discussed in a democratic approach and not a diktat. This diktat, implied by the behavior of the European Commission, concerns the non-approval of €57…
Japanese poetry: Highly esteemed Hitomaro from 7th to early 8th century Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Kakinomoto no Hitomaro (Hito-maru from the Heian era and onwards) is regarded as one of the greatest Japanese poets to have blessed this country. His name is mentioned alongside Fujiwara no Teika, Iio Sōgi (Inō Sōgi), and Matsuo Bashō.…
North Korea and South Korea military modernization: Japan watching developments Kanako Mita and Sawako Utsumi Modern Tokyo Times The military modernization of the Korean Peninsula is increasing once more to a higher level. Hence, with the ruling party in Japan, the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), seeking to double Japan’s military budget if re-elected on October…
Biafra, Communists in Indonesia, and East Timor: Shameful legacy of millions of deaths under Harold Wilson Sawako Utsumi and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The horrendous legacy of Harold Wilson is now being released concerning the massacres of communists in Indonesia (1965-1966). Henceforth, Harold Wilson, the leader of the Labour Party and the Prime…
Russia hopes for a U-turn in the EU’S energy policy Publication: Eurasia Daily Monitor By: Mateusz Kubiak The Jamestown Foundation On October 6, Vladimir Putin held a publicly broadcasted meeting with Russian oil and gas industry representatives, discussing the skyrocketing global natural gas prices (Kremlin.ru, October 6). As expected, it focused on the dramatic situation in…
Japan politics: Komeito opposes LDP focus on increased military spending Kanako Mita and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The general election of the Lower House will take place in Japan on October 31. However, the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), under Fumio Kishida, is upsetting the junior Komeito Party that is part of the…
Sudan needs international support to preserve the democratic path Kanako Mita and Sawako Utumi Modern Tokyo Times The nation of Sudan faces another fragile moment on its path to democracy. Indeed, Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok said pointedly that if a solution isn’t found then Sudan’s future will be thrown “to the wind.” In September, loyalists…
Japanese art and never-never land Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The artist Kamisaka Sekka (1866-1942) lit up Japanese art during his time on this earth. Of course, lovers of Sekka exist far and wide in modern times based on his adorable art. From a very young age, it was clear that Sekka was extremely…
MP Amess stabbed to death by Islamist inside a church in England: Apostates face death in Somalia Murad Makhmudov and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times A serving Member of Parliament (MP), Sir David Amess of the United Kingdom, was brutally murdered by an Islamist in a Christian Church in eastern England. According to sources,…
Iran and Nuclear deal is a luxury that bypasses the fear of everyday life! Kanako Mita and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The central state of Iran rules by fear. This concerns the most basic things in life – from how females dress, holding alternative political ideas, questioning political cronyism, seeking to follow a different…
Japan election preparations: Opposition need apathetic non-voters to vote Kanako Mita, Sawako Utsumi, and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) usually wins the general election in Japan apart from the odd shock. Hence, in 2009, the inept leadership of Taro Aso (LDP) lost to the estrange Yukio Hatoyama, representing the opposition. …
Bloodshed in Beirut is a reminder that regional Christians have been betrayed Murad Makhmudov, Kanako Mita, and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Lebanon is the only country in the Middle East with a sizeable population of Christians, even if Coptic Christians are more numerous in Egypt. However, regional nations and ethnic groups have utilized…
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