France and international donors to help the Lebanese Army Murad Makhmudov and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The nation of Lebanon is multi-ethnic and multi-religious mainly comprising of various Christian and Muslim sects – along with a minority Druze community. In recent history, the ills of Israel, Palestine, Iran, and Syria have all engulfed…
Colombia and deaths of over 6,000 by the military: Ex-president asks for forgiveness Sawako Utsumi and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The recent history of Colombia is blighted by massacres committed by the armed forces, right-wing paramilitaries, left-wing forces (FARC), and murky criminal activity that belongs to many shadows. Of course, the criminal acts of…
Sunni Islamists massacre over 130 in Burkina Faso Murad Makhumdov and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The nation of Burkina Faso is blighted by Sunni Islamist terrorist groups and ethnic tensions. Indeed, ethnic, religious, and political tensions throughout the Sahel region are extremely alarming. Therefore, ethnic and Islamist massacres occur in Burkina Faso, Chad,…
Tigray Defense Forces Resist Ethiopian Army Offensive as Sudan, Eritrea, and Ethnic Militias Enter the Fray Publication: Terrorism Monitor By: Michael Horton The Jamestown Foundation After nearly seven months of fighting, the war in Ethiopia’s Tigray region shows no sign of abating. Instead, the highly predictable has occurred: the war has metastasized into a grinding…
Kenya and DRC Sign Defense Pact to Cooperate against Islamic State Publication: Terrorism Monitor By: Sunguta West The Jamestown Foundation On April 21, Kenya and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) signed agreements on security and defense amid growing threats from Islamic State in Central African Province (ISCAP), which is active in the eastern…
The U.S. to rebuild Gaza while helping Israel militarily: Waiting for the next HAMAS attack Kanako Mita and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Irrespective if American taxpayers are pro-Israel, pro-Palestine, neutral, or care zilch about the situation, their taxes will be spent on both sides in the conflict. Hence with Iran utilizing various anti-Israel…
Sunni Islamists in mosque attack in Afghanistan: Imam killed Murad Makhmudov and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Another brutal Sunni Islamist terrorist attack killed at least 12 people inside a mosque in Afghanistan. Of course, violence in recent decades in Afghanistan is nothing new. However, it highlights the fear that persists in Afghanistan because…
Israel and Hamas: The Middle East under Biden following the chaotic footsteps of Obama Kanako Mita and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The latest crisis between the government of Israel and Palestinians is following a similar pattern that befell the Middle East during the Barack Obama period. Under the Obama administration, of which the…
Islamists kill many in Afghanistan, including high school students Sawako Utsumi and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Islamists have killed many in the latest terrorist attack in Afghanistan. Hence, while Muslims were focused on Ramadan, a brutal Islamist truck bomb killed at least 30 people. High school students are also among the dead after…
Myanmar in a spiral of death without any plan B Sawako Utsumi and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The spiral of death in Myanmar that followed the military coup against State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi is beyond rationality. After all, is this what the military coup leaders wanted? Min Aung Hlaing, the commander-in-chief…
Biden and the Democrats Cold War mentality: The Russian Federation and Ukraine Noriko Watanabe and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The leadership of President Joe Biden is witnessing the Cold War mentality that exists within the ruling Democrats. This is similar to the neoconservatives of the Republicans outside of the views of Donald Trump.…
Evidence of ethnic massacre of Tigrayans in Ethiopia reported Kanako Mita and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed of Ethiopia recently confirmed that massacres had taken place in Tigray. He also said that this applies to both sides in the conflict. Hence, the BBC finding of a massacre of people speaking…
Myanmar crisis continues unabated: 270 deaths since the military crackdown Sawako Utsumi and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Since the military coup in Myanmar against State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi, the daily deaths of protesters and bystanders by the state apparatus have become the norm. Thus, the death toll since the coup took…
Ethiopia confirms ethnic massacres in Tigray and the involvement of Eritrea Kanako Mita and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The government of Ethiopia confirmed for the first time that the armed forces of Eritrea helped during the conflict in Tigray. Also, the leader of Ethiopia admitted that ethnic massacres had taken place. The Ethiopian…
Myanmar news: Second NLD member dies in custody Kanako Mita and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The political crisis generated by the military coup in Myanmar shows no signs of abating. Indeed, with the second death of a member from the National League for Democracy (NLD) dying in custody, the crisis is increasingly becoming…
Myanmar and more deaths after anti-coup protesters are attacked by security forces Sawako Utsumi and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The crisis in Myanmar is increasingly turning violent after the military coup against the leadership of State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi. Thus at least 18 people have been killed in the last 24…
Extrajudicial killings in Colombia between 2002 and 2008 reach 6,400 people Kanako Mita and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The military peace deal to solve the protracted conflict in Colombia was signed in 2016. However, for many families, the peace deal rings hollow because loved ones in vast numbers were killed in extrajudicial killings.…
Japan and the United Kingdom to strengthen geopolitical ties Kanako Mita and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The United Kingdom and Japan are strengthening geopolitical ties based on the growing rise of China. In theory, the mantra is a free and open Indo-Pacific. However, in reality, it is the containment of China – alongside…
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…
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…
Tanzania to join Mozambique against Islamists in border areas Noriko Watanabe and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The growing menace of Sunni Islamic terrorism in northern Mozambique is gradually spilling over to remote border areas in Tanzania. Hence, the armed forces of Mozambique and Tanzania have agreed to joint military operations. Of course, the…
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…
Alleged massacre in Ethiopia: Tigray crisis Sawako Utsumi and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Tensions in the region of Tigray in Ethiopia are ongoing and many people have died in recent clashes. The thorny issues of power concentration, federalism, regional grievances, ethnicity, religion, a unitary state, and political differences all exist in Ethiopia to…
Armenia in crisis because of events in Nagorno-Karabakh: Deeds of NATO Turkey Murad Makhmudov and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The Armenian populated Nagorno-Karabakh region is in shock after recent battleground setbacks in and around this region. Thus the announcement by the leader of Armenia to an agreement with Azerbaijan of ending the conflict…
African Union calls for an immediate ceasefire in Ethiopia: Tensions in Tigray Noriko Watanabe and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The nation of Ethiopia is multi-ethnic and multi-religious and many faultlines exist. Thus, issues around power concentration, regional dynamics, political differences, and ethnic issues can quickly spiral out of control. Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed…
Russia sends peacekeepers to Nagorno-Karabakh: France is watching events Murad Makhmudov and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The Russian Federation agreed with Armenia and Azerbaijan to send peacekeepers to the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh. Hence, 1,960 military personnel from the Russian Federation will monitor and help to de-escalate military tensions between Armenia and Azerbaijan.…
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…
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…
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…
