Abe and ruling political bloc wins Upper House election in Japan but voter apathy is high Sawako Utsumi and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Prime Minister Shinzo Abe of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and the ruling bloc partner Komeito won the majority of seats in the Upper House election that was contested. Hence,…
Japan touts national security in a spat with South Korea after high-tech restrictions Sawako Utsumi and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The government of Japan is issuing national security concerns in the latest spat with South Korea. While, in the opposite direction, South Korea once more is using historical war-time issues that need to…
A Neighbor’s Dilemma: The Implications of the Libyan Crisis on Tunisia Publication: Terrorism Monitor By: James Pothecary The Jamestown Foundation Introduction In April, paramilitary forces loyal to the Libyan National Army (LNA)—the armed wing of the Tobruk administration—began its campaign to take the capital Tripoli from the UN-backed Government of National Accord (GNA) and…
New mass protests in Sudan is met by violence from the military Boutros Hussein and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Mass demonstrations have once more broken out in Khartoum and in other parts of Sudan despite the threat of death. Indeed, the latest demonstrations show that people will not be crushed despite the horrendous…
US and North Korea relationship is given a positive jolt after Trump meets Kim in North Korea Sawako Uchida and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times President Donald Trump of America broke unprecedented ground by meeting the leader of North Korea inside this secretive nation. Kim Jong-un, looking more relaxed than in past encounters with…
The tyranny of the state apparatus in Iran that crushes dissent and freedom Murad Makhmudov, Chika Mori, and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Iran continues to use the state apparatus in order to crush countless demonstrations that break out from time to time – or individuals who question the validity of theocratic oppression. Hence,…
Skynet surveillance system in China: Friend or foe? Horace C. White Modern Tokyo Times China’s Skynet places all of its citizens under surveillance In an effort to build a perfectly controlled society, China has developed a surveillance system that will monitor everyone living in the country. According to the Chinese authorities, Skynet surveillance system will…
Japan Considers a New Security Relationship Via “Networking” with Taiwan Publication: China Brief Volume: 19 Issue: 10 By: Howard Wang The Jamestown Foundation Introduction—Japan Seeks “Networking” with Regional Allies In early May 2019, Japanese Foreign Minister (FM) Taro Kono tweeted support for Taiwan’s bid to attend the World Health Assembly as an observer—thereby advocating for…
Suspension of Extradition Bill in Hong Kong but full cancellation is needed Sawako Utsumi and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The Chief Executive of Hong Kong, Carrie Lam, announced the suspension of the extradition bill that is despised in vast numbers in Hong Kong. Despite this, her distractions seem rather blasé and not based…
PM Abe of Japan returns from a pointless visit to Iran: Middle East quagmire Sawako Utsumi and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Prime Minister Shinzo Abe returns to Japan after a pointless visit to Iran that made him look out of touch. Once more, the Japanese Foreign Ministry that is aloof about the real…
President of Taiwan says “all like-minded friends” stand with the protestors in Hong Kong Noriko Watanabe and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The nation of China under the current leader Xi Jinping is known for re-closing Christian churches, ruling Muslim subjects by fear in Xinjiang, continuing its firm grip over Buddhist Tibet, mass surveillance,…
Fulani butcher the Dogon ethnic group in Mali with roughly 100 people killed Boutros Hussein and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The Fulani ethnic group is creating enormous tensions in several nations, notably Nigeria and Mali. Indeed, in Nigeria, the Fulani Muslim community is behind countless massacres against Christians. Therefore, the latest massacre of…
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to visit Iran but Saudi Arabia may be displeased? Murad Makhmudov and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Prime Minister Shinzo Abe of Japan is planning to visit Iran once all arrangements have been made. This especially applies to meeting President Hassan Rouhani of Iran and Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Therefore, senior…
Capitalist Big Brother in Japan: Yahoo Japan to Mizuho FG and George Orwell Sawako Utsumi and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The privacy of information is endlessly being crushed just like freedom on social media. George Orwell in 1949 published a powerful book titled Nineteen Eighty-Four (1984). Sadly, the ramifications of his words are…
Brutal crackdown in Sudan by the state apparatus kills at least 30 protestors Noriko Watanabe and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times America and the United Kingdom – and other nations – have condemned the brutal crackdown by the military of Sudan against protestors in Khartoum. Reports are currently stating that at least 30 people…
Japanese artist and her colorful and spiritual nuance of Maurice Utrillo Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Sawako Utsumi is a delightful contemporary Japanese artist who hails from northern Japan. In her latest art piece, she focuses once more on Maurice Utrillo (1883-1955). However, as usual, her nuance to the original by Utrillo is reshaped…
Japan and Russia territorial dispute made worse based on US containment policies Sawako Utsumi and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Prime Minister Shinzo Abe of Japan wants stronger relations with the Russian Federation but three issues remain that are preventing this. This applies to the role of America that seeks to contain China and…
Novatek May Be Carving Out a Bigger Role in Russian Energy Diplomacy Publication: Eurasia Daily Monitor By: Rauf Mammadov The Jamestown Foundation Russia’s second-largest natural gas producer, Novatek, which captured the largest share of the liquefied natural gas (LNG) market in Europe in the first quarter of 2019, has sold 20 percent of its planned…
Kurz ousted in Austria despite strong European election showing Noriko Watanabe and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Chancellor Sebastian Kurz of Austria was ousted in a no-confidence vote brought on by the shenanigans of the far-right political party, the Freedom Party (FPO). This happened because the FPO – that is still smarting by Kurz…
President Trump to enjoy his state visit to Japan and meet the new Emperor Sawako Utsumi Modern Tokyo Times President Donald Trump of America will enjoy his state visit to Japan based on the friendliness of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. Equally important, and a great honor for Trump, the leader of America will be the…
BJP given a stronger mandate in India based on Narendra Modi’s enormous appeal Sawako Utsumi and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in India is showing increasing signs of popularity based on the results of the 2019 general election. In 2014, some questioned the longevity of the BJP under Prime…
Report: Al-Qaida-Linked Charities Funded Canadian Organization, Quran Competition tby John Rossomando Investigative Project on Terrorism A Toronto-area mosque received funding from a Kuwaiti charity blacklisted by the U.S. Treasury and the United Nations., the Kharon Brief found. The Kharon Brief describes itself as an open-source intelligence group headed by former senior officials from the U.S.…
Cyberspace in uproar after Google slams Huawei Horace C. White Modern Tokyo Times Fears Grip Users as Google Suspends Services to Huawei It is often said that it is easy to start a war, but no one knows when the war would end. Indeed, there is no better way to describe the U.S.-China trade war…
Political hacktivism in decline on the low profile of Anonymous and the state apparatus Sawako Uchida and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times According to IBM’s X-Force, the international community is witnessing an enormous decline in the activity of hacking by political hacktivists. Of course, the decentralized hacktivist group Anonymous is part of this huge…
Japan and electronic warfare based on a wary eye on China and Russia Sawako Utsumi and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Irrespective of the rights or wrongs of events surrounding Crimea between the Russian Federation and Ukraine, the role of Russia’s electronic warfare opened-up eyes in Japan. Similarly, with China and the Russian Federation…
Online invaders hack Binance for over $40 million Horace C. White Modern Tokyo Times Hackers hit Binance Crypto Exchange, Steal $40.7 in Bitcoin The world’s biggest cryptocurrency exchange, Binance, has been reportedly hacked by unknown persons. It announced Tuesday that there has been an incursion on its online platform, which led to the loss of…
Turkish Prosecutor’s Document Suggests Turkey Spying on U.S. Soil by John Rossomando IPT News Investigative Project on Terrorism A Turkish prosecution obtained by the Investigative Project on Terrorism (IPT) could offer the first public documentation showing Turkish spying on people in the United States. Turkey has cited information gathered in the 2017 document in a…
Namibia asks for support because of a severe drought that threatens 500,000 people Chika Mori and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The government of Namibia is asking for international support because of a severe drought based on poor rains. It is known that at least 500,000 people are already struggling because of the lack…
Moscow Plans to Expand Canal System Between Caspian and Azov Seas Publication: Eurasia Daily Monitor By: Paul Goble The Jamestown Foundation Russia surprised many last year when it used its internal canal system to shift military vessels from the Caspian Sea to the Sea of Azov in order to ramp up pressure on Ukraine (see…
Ebola stalks the Democratic Republic of Congo with over 1,000 deaths being reported Noriko Watanabe and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Countless ethnic issues and a plethora of different militias that stalk the country blight the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). At the same time, enormous poverty, a weak centralized state, lack of health…
The UK and the “Moriarty game” in Yemen: We bomb you, we maim you, and we help you Michiyo Tanabe, Nawal Soueif, and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The crisis in Yemen is highlighting the utter moral bankruptcy of the United Kingdom (UK) government. This equally applies to other leading Western nations and Sunni…
Child Marriage in Yemen Seen As a Means of Survival by Abigail R. Esman Special to IPT News Investigative Project on Terrorism There was no more money. There was only bread and tea for weeks. There was so much hunger, and so many children. And so the couple agreed to let the man wed their…
