President of Ecuador blames meddling after austerity measures lead to major protests Kanako Mita and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Ecuador is witnessing major unrest after President Lenin Moreno announced the elimination of fuel subsidies and other measures. His anti-austerity measures are based on the IMF (International Monetary Fund) agreement which stipulates that public…
Israel and NSO Group: Pegasus spyware found in over 40 nations is alarming journalists Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times In 2017, the NSO Group was highlighted by Modern Tokyo Times in relation to its spyware being used against journalists in Mexico. However, despite the negative human rights issue related to this Israeli company, it…
Colombia needs help with migrants fleeing poverty from Venezuela: Trump condemns Maduro Chika Mori and Kanako Itamae Modern Tokyo Times Colombia faces many internal problems related to the recent history of this nation and the brutal civil war. On top of this, social deprivation and issues related to crime and narcotics concern many in Colombia.…
Venezuela braced for violence after opposition leader declares himself Acting President Chika Mori and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times People in Venezuela are bracing themselves for fresh political violence that may ultimately reach a new level. Indeed, with President Donald Trump of America supporting the leading opposition leader Juan Guaidó, then the international dimension…
Mexico and its Shadow War: Endless reports of state collusion with drug cartels Sawako Uchida and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The nation of Mexico resembles a war zone based on the horrendous homicide rate that remains endlessly high. Indeed, in the first six months last year, just below 16,000 homicides occurred. Hence, Mexico…
Mexico in an endless nightmare of homicides: Who needs a civil war? Noriko Watanabe and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Mexico resembles a nation blighted by civil war because the homicide rate is alarmingly high. Hence, with the homicide figure in the first six months of 2018 reaching a shocking 15,973 people, then Mexico…
Guatemala Fuego Volcano leaves at least 85 dead and many missing Kanako Itamae and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The devastating eruption of Fuego volcano in Guatemala is finally becoming uncovered. This applies to at least 85 people perishing and with over 192 people missing. On top of this, thousands have been evacuated in…
Nicaragua accused of alleged extrajudicial executions under the leadership of Daniel Ortega Kanako Itamae and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times According to Amnesty International, the government of Nicaragua under President Daniel Ortega is being accused of state-sanctioned extrajudicial executions. This strong accusation is based on the deaths of 83 protestors in the last six…
Killing Catholic Priests in Mexico and the Philippines: Father Mark Anthony Ventura murdered Noriko Watanabe and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times If you close your eyes and think about parts of the world where Roman Catholic priests could be killed, then immediately you think about nations like Nigeria and Pakistan. Of course, Christian clergy…
Colombia needs help with migrants fleeing social deprivation and poverty in Venezuela Chika Mori and Kanako Itamae Modern Tokyo Times The nation of Colombia faces many internal problems related to the recent history of this nation and the brutal civil war. On top of this, social deprivation and issues related to crime and narcotics concern…
Mexico is the most dangerous place to be a Catholic Priest: Lawlessness and drug cartels Noriko Watanabe and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times In many parts of the world you have war, religious persecution, failed states, international terrorist groups, and other negative realities. Yet, for Roman Catholic priests the most dangerous nation in the…
Mercosur Nations Suspend Venezuela and Request an Immediate Political Transition Sawako Uchida and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times South American nations are putting pressure on Venezuela because of the authoritarian tendencies of President Nicolas Maduro who rules this country. Hence, Mercosur, a powerful trade bloc in South America, suspended Venezuela after recent political events.…
Opposition Leaders Seized in Venezuela based on the Diktats of Maduro Chika Mori and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The nation of Venezuela under President Nicolas Maduro is in turmoil based on his authoritarian tendencies, caring little about the suffering of ordinary nationals, squandering natural resources, and other negative factors. Hence, the seizing of…
Mexico, NSO Group, Israel, and Spying via Pegasus: The New Enemies of the State? Chika Mori and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The government of Mexico, according to various sources, is now allegedly spying on individuals that seek to inform based on investigative journalism, tackle corruption, or who seek to defend human rights in…
Death in Mexico resembles a Civil War: Three Murders Per Hour in early 2017 Sawako Utsumi and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The nation of Mexico resembles a nation going through the trauma of a brutal civil war. Yet, the government of Mexico seems at a loss about tackling the ongoing crisis. Hence, in…
Venezuela Crisis is Out of Control: Cycle of Violence will lead to more Tears Sawako Utsumi and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The original hope installed under Hugo Chavez who focused on a social platform to address mass inequality is now but a distant dream under President Nicolas Maduro. Chavez, deeply popular among certain…
Haiti and the UN: Over 130 Sri Lankan Peacekeepers involved in Child Sex Ring and other Nations Noriko Watanabe and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The United Nations (UN) brought cholera to Haiti that killed vast numbers of people and now it turns out that mass sexual abuse of children happened by several forces.…
Venezuela: In a Hole, and Still Digging Phil Gunson Senior Analyst, Andes International Crisis Group Images of the bloodied face of Venezuelan opposition MP Juan Requesens, a vicious, diagonal gash across his left temple, graphically conveyed in recent days the lengths to which the government of President Nicolás Maduro appears prepared to go in order…
Brazil and Deaths Reaching Nearly 100 since Military Police went on Strike in Vitoria Chika Mori and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The crisis in Vitoria, just like beheadings in several prisons in other parts of the nation, is highlighting a Brazil that is on edge in certain parts of this nation. Hence, the…
Venezuela Is Falling off the Map Phil Gunson Senior Analyst, Andes International Crisis Group Incoming U.S. President Donald Trump’s first foreign-policy surprise could pop up just a few hours’ flying time south of Miami. A tense political standoff between an increasingly desperate population and a dictatorial regime in Venezuela worsened in early January after the…
Another Prison Massacre in Brazil Boutros Hussein and Kanako Itamae Modern Tokyo Times The government of Brazil needs to formulate new policies to stem recent grim massacres inside prisons that are obviously out of control. According to the latest massacre, another thirty prisoners were mainly beheaded or burnt alive. This follows on from around 100…
Pacific Alliance and EFTA after Brexit for the United Kingdom Sawako Uchida and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The exiting of the United Kingdom from the European Union (EU) means that ample new opportunities abound after Brexit is finally done and dusted. In recent times Colombia and Iceland have both pointed in the direction…
Crisis-hit Venezuela’s Political Rivals Stumble Towards Talks Phil Gunson Senior Analyst, Andes International Crisis Group High on the slopes of the mountain that separates Caracas from the Caribbean, three capital letters, vertically arranged, have recently lit up at night. From most parts of the Venezuelan capital you need binoculars to pick out the word PAZ…
Over 800 Killed in Haiti after Hurricane Matthew Devastates an Already Poor Infrastructure Kanako Itamae and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The death toll in Haiti is continuing to climb with latest figures stressing at least 800 people have perished. Sadly, the likelihood is that this figure may rise further once the full implications…
FARC Peace Deal with the Government of Colombia is Rejected by Voters: Enormous Apathy Noriko Watanabe and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The people of Colombia not only rejected the proposed peace deal between the government and FARC but enormous apathy also highlights the divisions within society. Officially, just over 50 percent rejected the…
On the Verge of Peace: Colombia Reaches Final Agreement with the FARC International Crisis Group The comprehensive Colombia peace deal faces major challenges, including a 2 October plebiscite, disarmament and UN verification. But after four years of talks in Cuba, Colombians have passed a new landmark in the long search for an end to 52…
Slow-motion Coup in Venezuela? Phil Gunson – Senior Analyst, Andes International Crisis Group In recent weeks Nicolás Maduro appears to have taken a back seat to Venezuela’s top general, defence minister Vladimir Padrino López, who also – unusually – holds the post of operational commander of the armed forces. On 11 July, Maduro announced that he…
Venezuela: Edge of the Precipice International Crisis Group The full briefing is also available in: español OVERVIEW In December 2015, President Nicolás Maduro immediately recognised the opposition Democratic Unity (MUD) coalition’s resounding legislative election victory. For the first time in over sixteen years, the prospect arose of political cohabitation between the alliance led by the ruling…
Devastating Earthquake in Ecuador: Over 350 Dead and Many Buried Under Rubble Kanako Itamae and Noriko Watanabe Modern Tokyo Times The brutal 7.8-magnitude earthquake that hit Ecuador is now known to have killed over 350 people. This figure will most likely rise because many people are still missing and reports stress that people remain buried…
President Rousseff of Brazil is Making Matters Worse by Naming Lula Da Silva to be Chief-Of-Staff Joachim de Villiers, Michiyo Tanabe and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times President Dilma Rousseff of Brazil is facing internal pressure from ordinary Brazilians who are disillusioned with her economic policies and issues related to corruption. This reality should…
Venezuela on the Edge International Crisis Group The 6 December parliamentary election in which the Venezuelan opposition won a landslide victory and a two-thirds legislative majority, combined with the ongoing economic meltdown, should have encouraged a more conciliatory stance by the government and a mutual search for a basic political agreement. But it has not,…
Brazil and World Health Organization: Growing Spread of Zika Virus throughout the Americas Galina Zobova and Kanako Itamae Modern Tokyo Times The World Health Organization (WHO) believes that the Zika virus will spread to all but two nations throughout South America and North America, with Canada and continental Chile being the two exceptions. Of course,…
