The last military strike under Biden in Afghanistan was killing innocents Kanako Mita and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The collapse of the Afghanistan government under former President Ashraf Ghani was swift beyond what is natural. Hence, the armed forces of Afghanistan – without the support of America and various NATO powers – just…
North Korea and South Korea test ballistic missiles: the US muted, Japan angry, and China diplomatic Kanako Mita, Sawako Utsumi, and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The Korean Peninsula witnessed the launching of tested ballistic missiles by North Korea and South Korea within hours of each other. Japan condemned the launch by North Korea. However,…
Japan Increases Involvement in Central Asia Publication: Eurasia Daily Monitor By: Paul Goble The Jamestown Foundation Almost two decades ago, Japan adopted the 5+1 approach to dealing with Central Asia, a model other outside players have copied. Now, Japan is increasing its involvement in the region given the Taliban’s recent victory, which has created new…
Taliban is killing civilians in Panjshir and persecuting others Kanako Mita and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The Taliban is enforcing its iron grip on Afghanistan. Thus opposition forces in the Panjshir Valley understand that the current situation is extremely bleak. Especially with the government of President Joe Biden in America playing platitudes to…
Vietnam and Japan praise relations between both nation in Hanoi: Russian Federation Kanako Mita, Sawako Utsumi, and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính of Vietnam (Việt Nam) met the Japanese Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi in Hanoi (Hà Nội) yesterday. The Prime Minister of Vietnam and the Defense Minister of Japan praised recent developments between Japan and…
US Democrats decry non-inclusive Taliban regime while praising non-inclusive Qatar Murad Makhmudov and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The United States is decrying the non-inclusive Taliban regime while praising non-inclusive Qatar. Also, past American intelligence pointed the finger at Qatar for its involvement in terrorism. Henceforth, Qatar is known to be a ratline for…
Failed Japan mission in Afghanistan means help from China, Russia, and regionally Sawako Utsumi and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The government of Japan, like other nations, was caught off guard by the speed of the Taliban take over in Afghanistan. Henceforth, with America and other nations evacuating tens of thousands of people, it…
China says “alien models” will fail externally and internally: Afghanistan, Visegrad, and the Asia Pacific Kanako Mita and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times China is witnessing events in Afghanistan from a different prism similar to the Russian Federation. Indeed, internally in China, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is now focused on preserving traditions wrapped…
North Korea rejects Covid jabs politely by saying other nations need more Noriko Watanabe and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The international coronavirus (Covid-19) crisis in Northeast Asia (excluding the Russian Federation) is noticeable by the low number of deaths in this part of the world. Thus the death toll in China, Japan, Mongolia,…
Rich Gulf Powers don’t like Christian refugees or Afghanistan refugees: Migrant labor is fine! Murad Makhmudov and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Images of mass evacuations of nationals from Afghanistan fleeing to America, Canada, and European nations once more have hit the headlines. In equal measure, rich elites in Afghanistan with money and connections…
The UK evacuated Japanese Embassy staff from Kabul: Usual reliance on others Sawako Utsumi and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The government of Japan seems to lack a sense of priority when urgent decisions are needed. Indeed, in areas of national security, the government of Japan relies heavily on the armed forces of America.…
ISIS attack in Afghanistan kills many in Kabul: Twin fear of Sunni Islamist Takfiris Kanako Mita and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Kabul in Afghanistan was rocked by two suspected attacks by ISIS (Islamic State) in Afghanistan. According to the Russian Federation, at least 13 people are known to have died. However, this figure is…
US-backed Kurds in Syria continue to be targeted by NATO Turkey: A paper tiger Boutros Hussein and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The debacle in Afghanistan, reminiscent of past events in the Mekong Delta, is equally applied to the treatment of Kurds at the hands of NATO Turkey. President Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey, noting…
Ex female-MP in Afghanistan says, “Happy to have gotten rid of all these thieves and losers who left the country.” Murad Makhmudov and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Images are circulating all over the world of adult males seeking to escape Afghanistan, while the last remnants of American and other foreign troops remain. All…
Kazakhstan Surges to Third Place in Global Crypto-Currency Production, behind China and US Publication: Eurasia Daily Monitor By: John C. K. Daly The Jamestown Foundation While many crypto-currency advocates worldwide promote this sector as the next step in international finance, multiple governments are becoming increasingly leery because of digital currencies’ energy-intensive mining requirements, volatile price…
Kabul and Mazar-e-Sharif limply fall to the Taliban: A hidden deal? Kanako Mita and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The collapse of the armed forces of Afghanistan is astonishing given the alleged professional training by America, the United Kingdom, and other NATO powers. Hence, it seems that backchannels in America, Pakistan, the Taliban (in…
Taliban blitz continues in Afghanistan: Eyes on Mazar-e-Sharif Noriko Watanabe and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The Taliban is taking vast swathes of Afghanistan with little resistance in many areas. Thus the armed forces of Afghanistan in many regions have merely ghosted away. It remains to be seen if the move is tactical because…
The US keeps on showing its hand in Afghanistan to the Taliban Murad Makhmudov and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The United States (US), under President Joe Biden, keeps on showing its military hand to the Taliban. Hence, despite current American airstrikes that are helping the armed forces of Afghanistan, the US is also…
China’s Hypersonic Missiles: Methods and Motives Publication: China Brief By: Richard Weitz The Jamestown Foundation Introduction The People’s Republic of China (PRC) is pursuing various hypersonic delivery systems to augment its already impressive arsenal of precision strike capabilities. Hypersonic missiles are emerging as a highly valued weapon system for the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA)…
Pockets of resistance in Kunduz in Afghanistan: Taliban increases pressure Murad Makhmudov and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The Taliban is increasing pressure on several cities throughout Afghanistan. Some agencies are claiming that Kunduz is in the hands of the Taliban. However, pockets of government resistance continue in their own military base and the…
Taliban are closing in on Lashkar Gah in Afghanistan: Ghani blames the speed of the US pullout Murad Makhmudov and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Afghanistan is facing the growing threat of the Taliban. Thus President Ashraf Ghani is looking increasingly anxious. Ghani, clearly unhappy about the speed of the US military pullout under…
Taliban are testing government forces in several cities in Afghanistan Murad Makhmudov and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The Taliban knows that America is in a weak position after President Biden ushered the pull out of American military forces. Immediately, allies of America followed suit. Therefore, the Taliban is stepping up its power play…
Curfew at night in Afghanistan to provide more security in areas held Murad Makhmudov and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The pull-out of American forces in Afghanistan under President Biden of America is witnessing fresh Taliban momentum. Nerves are obviously fraying within government-controlled areas because the Taliban supports a strict and draconian Islamic Sharia…
Tokyo homeless kicked out for the privileged Olympics: Taking the knee and ignoring the locals and region Kanako Mita and Sawako Utsumi Modern Tokyo Times The Tokyo Olympics is to commence in front of privileged spectators. Hence, ordinary people in Japan and foreign spectators are banned from attending Olympic venues. However, for the homeless in Tokyo,…
President Moon of South Korea cancels planned visit to Tokyo Olympics because of undiplomatic language Kanako Mita and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The rude comment by Hirohisa Soma, the Deputy Ambassador of the Japanese Embassy in South Korea, aimed at President Moon Jae-in of South Korea scuppered his planned visit to the Tokyo…
Russia, Turkey Compete to Entice Azerbaijan into their Geopolitical Plays Publication: Eurasia Daily Monitor Rahim Rahimov The Jamestown Foundation During the latest session of the Council of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), on July 1, in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, the participants effectively introduced the category of a CSTO “partner state” by…
Japan and South Korea: Possible meeting between Suga and Moon in Tokyo Noriko Watanabe and Kanako Mita Modern Tokyo Times Reports of a possible meeting between Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga and President Moon Jae-in have hit a diplomatic snag. This concerns a rude comment by Hirohisa Soma, the Deputy Ambassador of the Japanese Embassy in…
Indonesia is the new epicentre of Covid-19 infections in Asia Kanako Mita and Sawako Uchida Modern Tokyo Times Indonesia is reeling from the ongoing international coronavirus (Covid-19) crisis. Indeed, in Asia, Indonesia is now blighted by a higher number of daily infections than India. Thus, Indonesia is the current epicenter of the coronavirus in Asia.…
Taliban Controls Afghanistan’s Northern Borders, Unsettling Countries Near and Far Publication: Eurasia Daily Monitor By: Paul Goble The Jamestown Foundation With the ongoing withdrawal of the United States’ military forces and the consequent weakening of the Afghan government, the Taliban now controls much of the territory of Afghanistan and most of its northern borders, posing…
Pakistan Struggles to Contain the Radicalism it Fostered by Hany GhorabaIPT News Investigative Project on Terrorism A state that was founded in 1947 on the basis of its majority religion, outbursts and protests for religious causes are a common scene in Pakistan. At one time, the Pakistani government looked the other way or even endorsed…
Myanmar Militant Opposition Divided in Fight Against Tatmadaw Publication: Terrorism Monitor By: Sudha Ramachandran The Jamestown Foundation On June 22, soldiers backed by armored vehicles clashed with fighters of the recently-formed People’s Defense Force (PDF) in Mandalay, Myanmar’s second largest city. This was the first time that the PDF has engaged the Tatmadaw, as the…
Upon Leaving the Wild, Wild East in Afghanistan by Phyllis CheslerIPT News Investigative Project on Terrorism In the history of the world, no foreign power has ever occupied or been able to remain in this landlocked and remote country in central Asia. The Persians, the Mongols, the British, the Russians – all were unable to…
