Japan continues to welcome Western military support in East Asia aimed at China: UK strike group Kanako Mita and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times If you view history through the prism of longevity then China wasn’t a threat to Japan. Nor did this nation endanger the sovereignty of Japan. On the contrary, for over…
Kim Jong-un of North Korea deems America to be the main enemy: Japan and President Trump Noriko Watanabe and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times North Korea is making its posture known to Joe Biden, the President-elect of America. Of course, tensions between America and North Korea are decades old. Thus, irrespective of the rocky…
European Union and China poised to sign a significant investment deal Kanako Mita and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times A major investment deal between China and the European Union (EU) looks set to be signed in 2021. If so, EU business companies would gain important access to the lucrative Chinese market. Therefore, optimism is…
Japan and India support a free and open Indo-Pacific region: China isn’t boosting allies Sawako Uchida and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The government of China isn’t creating further divisions in Northeast Asia or the Asia Pacific region. However, Japan is constantly upping the ante by endless bi-lateral – and multi-lateral – power plays…
Christians killed in a terrorist attack in Indonesia Murad Makhmudov and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times In Indonesia, you have approximately 30 million Christians in this majority Muslim nation and religious violence – and persecution – is a problem. On top of this, you have ethnic and cultural issues in various parts of the…
Singapore introduces tighter travel restrictions on people traveling from Japan Kanako Mita and Sawako Utsumi Modern Tokyo Times The government of Singapore is tightening travel restrictions on people entering from the nation of Japan. This relates to increasing coronavirus (Covid-19) infections in Japan. Japan and Singapore had signed a reciprocal agreement in September regarding travel.…
Australia and Japan agree on a historic Defense Pact Noriko Watanabe and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga of Japan and Prime Minister Scott Morrison have agreed in principle to a significant Defense Pact. Of course, China isn’t happy about events. However, democratic nations need to focus on strengthening their respective…
China, Japan, and South Korea sign the mega trade bloc RCEP Kanako Mita and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times China, Japan, and South Korea – along with twelve other nations – signed the mega trade bloc called the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP). Hence, the largest free-trade bloc in the world cements the Asia-Pacific.…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
PM Suga of Japan and President Xi of China talk by phone Sawako Utsumi and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga of Japan and President Xi Jinping of China held their first talks by phone since Suga became the new leader of Japan. Unsurprisingly, both leaders promised to foster closer relations…
North Korea apologizes to South Korea over the recent killing Kanako Mita and Noriko Watanabe Modern Tokyo Times Kim Jong-un, the leader of North Korea, made a rare apology to South Korea over the recent killing of a South Korean citizen. He made the apology to show his sincerity in what appears to be a…
Japan and diplomacy with China: Australia, India, Japan, and America to meet Kanako Mita and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Prime Miniter Yoshihide Suga is the new leader of Japan. Thus, the meeting between senior officials from America, Australia, India, and Japan in Tokyo early next month will be analyzed carefully. It is known…
Pakistan Christian sentenced to death for alleged blasphemy Murad Makhmudov and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Another verdict in Pakistan will rock all minorities because the fear of blasphemy weighs heavily. Hence, the sentence of death passed on Asif Pervaiz is a firm reminder of institutional religious discrimination in Pakistan. Asif Pervaiz, a Christian…
The foreign policy of Japan in the post-Abe period: America, China, Mekong, and Russia Sawako Utsumi and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The geopolitical challenges for Japan throughout Northeast Asia and the Asia Pacific are enormous. Thus with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe resigning then a challenging period will ensue. After all, unlike many other…
The Philippines hit by terrorist attacks in Jolo Murad Makhmudov and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times A twin terrorist attack hit Jolo in the province of Sulu in the Philippines. It is known that at least 14 people were killed in both attacks including soldiers. Therefore, the armed forces of the Philippines are on…
Japan and South Korea and the GSOMIA merry-go-round: Japan should focus on China and Russia Sawako Utsumi and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The Korean Peninsula is divided between North Korea and South Korea because both Korea’s don’t trust each other. Thus with South Korea repeatedly turning against Japan when relations between both Korea’s…
800,000 Covid-19 deaths with little let-up in America, Brazil, India, and Mexico Kanako Mita and Chika Mori Modern Tokyo Times The international coronavirus (Covid-19) crisis is now responsible for 800,000 known deaths. In the four nations of the highest number of deaths, the numbers keep flowing. Therefore, unlike the hardest-hit nations in Europe, the countries…
Bubonic Plague Deaths in China, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Mongolia Sawako Utsumi and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The bubonic plague conjures images in the head of vast deaths from distant centuries. However, while no longer the potent killer disease of the past, people are still becoming infected and dying each year.…
Afghanistan admits to 3,500 military deaths in 2020: Reverberations of Obama Murad Makhmudov and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The government of Afghanistan acknowledged that over 3,500 security forces have been killed since February peace talks. These talks resulted in a frayed peace agreement between America and the Taliban. However, on the ground, the…
America, Australia, and Japan in Naval Exercises in Asia Pacific waters Sawako Utsumi and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The nations of Australia, Japan, and the United States are currently holding trilateral naval exercises in the waters of the Asia Pacific. Thus democratic nations are showing commitment toward the freedom of sea-lanes throughout the…
Japan and its first wave of subsidies to help companies leave China: Covid-19 supply chain Kanako Mita and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The coronavirus (Covid-19) economic convulsions will continue for a long-time to come. Of course, the size of the crisis depends on each individual nation. However, for Japan, it became apparent that…
International Covid-19 deaths reach 600,000: America, Brazil, India, Mexico, and the UK Kanako Mita and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The international death toll from coronavirus (Covid-19) will surpass 600,000 in the next twenty-four hours. Hence, the global economy and a return to normal remains distant even if some nations are in recovery mode.…
Czechia and the China and Taiwan issue: Miloš Vystrčil promises to visit Taiwan Kanako Mita and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The nation of Czechia (Czech Republic) fully understands the legacy of Communist rule. Hence, the diplomatic balance for Czechia between China and Taiwan shouldn’t be defined by economics. Instead, the Chinese Communist Party…
Japan poetry and Okura (660-733): Influence of Confucianism and East Asia Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Yamanoue no Okura (660-733?) lived a dynamic life by the standards of the day. Of course, many areas of his life remain shrouded in mystery based on the passages of time. Therefore, it isn’t fully known if he…
