Sōami (1472-1525) and art of Japan: Aesthetics, Buddhism, and the Middle Kingdom Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The Japanese artist, Sōami, is known for an array of areas linked to high culture in the land of the rising sun. Hence, he is strongly linked to Japanese aesthetics and the power of high culture that…
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…
Art of Japan in the sixteenth century and the sword and the brushstroke Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The Japanese artist Kano Eitoku (1543-1590) says much about the various dynamics of the Azuchi-Momoyama Period and the warlord Oda Nobunaga (1534-1582). This applies to the growth of Japanese art and culture despite the warring period…
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…
Japanese photos of the late nineteenth-century: Ogawa Kazumasa and lovely flowers Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Ogawa Kazumasa (1860-1929) was born during the final period of the Edo era in Japan. Hence, the modernizing dynamics that followed during the Meiji period that began in 1868 impacted greatly on Kazumasa. This includes learning photography techniques…
The last throes before the ghost of time for Judy Doggett Walker Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times A lifetime of friendship becomes distant. Moments of confusion grow from minutes to days. Loved ones often erased. The river once flowed and reached my heart. Now the flow is lost. Art hangs on many walls, like…
Japanese art and power concentration: Kano Sanraku (1559-1635) Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Kano Sanraku (1559-1635) belongs to a time of major change in Japanese society. Hence, he witnessed the power processes of centralization under several warlords. This culminated with the emergence of the Tokugawa Period that lasted from 1603 to 1868. Therefore,…
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…
The Japanese poet Yosa Buson in the shadow of art Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Yosa Buson (1716-1784) belongs to the world of Japanese poetry because his haiku is highly acclaimed, saying it mildly. This reality means that his art is secondary despite being a distinctive artist. Therefore, while the art of Buson is…
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…
Emperor of Japan and the flow from Heisei to Reiwa Sawako Uchida and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Japan is hailing the natural flow from the Heisei to Reiwa era without the shadow of death. Hence, despite many Japanese nationals feeling a sense of sorrow with the abdication of Emperor Akihito, a sense of…
Christians killed in church attack in Burkina Faso: Islamist threat in West Africa Boutros Hussein and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Suspected Islamists have killed 6 Christians, including the Protestant pastor, in the northern part of Burkina Faso. This latest suspected Islamist terrorist attack is a further sign of the growing problem facing Burkina…
Democrats in Hong Kong demonstrate against a dangerous proposed extradition law with China Noriko Watanabe and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The most potent recent demonstration to shake Hong Kong emerged based on proposals for an extradition treaty with China. This comes at a time when Christian churches are being closed in China; Muslims…
Japanese art and the enigmatic Utamaro Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The distinguished art of Utamaro Kitagawa is known internationally based on his stunning art. This notably applies to the depiction of beautiful women (bijin-ga). However, while Utamaro is internationally famous, his life remains shrouded in mystery based on many areas remaining foggy. Therefore,…
Japanese art and the brief artistic life of Shigeru Aoki (1882-1911) Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The Japanese artist Shigeru Aoki (1882-1911) blossomed quickly but family problems and then tuberculosis would soon take him from this world. Hence, the promising artistic flower of Aoki parted before even reaching 29. This sad reality means that…
Is spyware the greatest threat to online privacy, or a cybersecurity necessity? Horace C. White Modern Tokyo Times Dealing with Stalkerware infected devices It usually starts with a very simple text message, email and/or photo image attachment. But this is quite different from the love text and/or photo a man’s wife sends to show her…
Poetry: Virtue and hope crushed by this cold earth Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times In this cold earth are times of my yesteryear Once signs of hope and passing the family key Never to know that the small patter of feet would be taken from thee Age bedeviled my body and mind…
Sterilization of people deemed “unworthy and unfit” from conservative Japan to liberal Sweden Chika Mori and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Prime Minister Shinzo Abe of Japan acknowledged the brutality of forced sterilizations that inflicted vast numbers of people between 1948 and 1996. Hence, compensation will now be given to victims who suffered greatly…
‘Old Wine in Old Bottles’ – A Security Q and A on Post-Coup Sudan Publication: Terrorism Monitor By: Andrew McGregor The Jamestown Foundation Veteran opposition politician Yasir Arman called the April 11 military coup in Sudan nothing more than “old wine in old bottles.” Arman suggested it had preserved “the political and economic structures of…
Japanese female poetry of Izumi Shikibu of the tenth and early eleventh century Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The poetry of Izumi Shikibu and other female poets in Japan during the same period highlights that women played an important part of aspects of Japanese high culture. Of course, in common with much of the…
Suspected Islamist terrorist attack against Christian Churches and hotels kill at least 207 in Sri Lanka Murad Makhmudov and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times It isn’t uncommon for Islamist terrorist attacks to kill Christian worshippers during holy periods including Easter and Christmas. Yesteryear was Egypt but today it is Sri Lanka. Hence, just like…
US and Japan affirm Cybersecurity ties: Japan’s non-Northeast Asian fixation and Russia Sawako Utsumi and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Prime Minister Shinzo Abe of Japan claims that he desires to solve the protracted territorial dispute with the Russian Federation. Yet, many within the corridors of power in Moscow dispute the sincerity of Japan.…
Japan tourism: The giant Buddhist statue at Nihon-ji Temple and Mount Nokogiri Chika Mori and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The adorable landscape of this part of Chiba from the lovely ropeway is a treat in itself. Yet, while the views initially soak up the hidden energy of the tourist, this is soon replenished…
Forensic image of Tibetan leader held in Chinese captivity to be unveiled on BBC’s ‘The One Show’ Free Tibet A new, forensically constructed image showing what Tibet’s missing Panchen Lama could look like twenty-four years after his abduction by the Chinese government will be unveiled on BBC’s The One Show. The short film will be…
Tokyo gardens and tourism: Rikugien Garden in Komagome Chika Mori and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times If you are a Tokyoite or one of the countless numbers of tourists visiting Tokyo, then it is important to enjoy gardens and other areas related to quiet contemplation. Hence, the garden of Rikugien is one of several…
China pledges strong support of Myanmar: Western nations need to open up! Sawako Utsumi and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The nation of Myanmar is on the path of strengthening democracy under the State Counsellor of Myanmar, Aung San Suu Kyi. Yet, after mass propaganda about the crisis in Rakhine, many Western nations have…
Learning Without Fighting: New Developments in PLA Artificial Intelligence War-Gaming Publication: China Brief By: Elsa Kania The Jamestown Foundation The Opportunities and Challenges of Intelligentization A lack of recent experience in combat is often characterized as a major liability and potential disadvantage for the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) in any future conflict scenario.…
Buddhism and Sengai Gibon: Buddhist contemplation and artistic outreach Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The inner-soul of Sengai Gibon (1750-1837) was always multidimensional and the flow that linked all fusions was Buddhism. Artistic wise, we will never know the real capabilities of Sengai because his art and writings were based on simplicity, enticing…
Egypt backs counterterrorism measures in Libya: President El-Sisi meets Khalifa Hafter Boutros Hussein and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The government of Egypt under President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi openly backs counterterrorism measures in Libya. Indeed, with political convulsions emerging in Algeria and Sudan respectively, then Egypt seeks to keep Islamist terrorism and Muslim Brotherhood intrigues…
