Fragile Lebanon hit by a huge explosion in Beirut with many dead and injured Kanako Mita and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The nation of Lebanon is extremely fragile because of the economic and political crisis. On top of this, the sectarian dynamic, foreign intrigues, extremely sizeable Palestinian and Syrian communities, cronyism, and other…
Art of Japan and the fusion of ideas by Kanzan Shimomura Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Kanzan Shimomura (1873 to 1930) is a famous artistic son of Wakayama. Thus, the spiritual and cultural dimension of his art is blessed by the natural traits of Wakayama. Equally important, he was born into a family known…
Afghanistan admits to 3,500 military deaths in 2020: Reverberations of Obama Murad Makhmudov and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The government of Afghanistan acknowledged that over 3,500 security forces have been killed since February peace talks. These talks resulted in a frayed peace agreement between America and the Taliban. However, on the ground, the…
Japan art and Sakai Dōitsu: His heart belonged to the old world Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The artist Sakai Dōitsu (1845-1913) was born during a very revolutionary period in Japan. This applies to the Meiji Restoration (1868-1912). However, Dōitsu firmly belongs to the rich world of rinpa (rimpa) art. Hence, while Dōitsu witnessed…
Japan Covid-19 daily infections hit over 1,000: Tourism and psychological war Kanako Mita and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times New infections of coronavirus (Covid-19) in Japan broke the daily number of 1,000 for the first time. This is despite the coronavirus entering Japan in the middle of January. Alarmingly, the prefectures of Aichi, Okinawa,…
Iran in Covid-19 fatigue with at least 16,000 deaths: The Middle East Murad Makhmudov and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The coronavirus (Covid-19) crisis in Iran is extremely persistent. Officially, the current death toll is 16,147 and showing little signs of abating. However, the real death toll is probably much higher. Iran was hit…
Covid-19 daily infections in Japan just below 1,000: Aichi, Gifu, Kyoto, and Okinawa Kanako Mita and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The coronavirus (Covid-19) crisis in Japan for new infections is worse in July than at any other time. This statistic is grim because the first known coronavirus case was in the middle of…
Japan is hoping that America and China will take a more diplomatic stance Sawako Utsumi and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The increasing stoking of the fire by America and China is worrying many in Japan. After all, the coronavirus (Covid19) crisis and economic convulsions are horrendous enough – so Japan doesn’t need more…
Increasing deadly attacks in Darfur in Sudan Kanako Mita and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times In the past few weeks, more deadly attacks have erupted in the Darfur region of Sudan. Hence, with ongoing political changes in Sudan, the fear is that intrigues seek to destabilize at such a delicate moment for this country.…
Yukio Mishima and fusion of nationalism, the word, and the perfect death Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Yukio Mishima wrote, “If we value so highly the dignity of life, how can we not also value the dignity of death? No death may be called futile.” This comment is poignant if you have never read…
340,000 deaths in the Americas: Central America, North America, and South America Sawako Utsumi and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The coronavirus (Covid-19) death toll throughout the Americas is over 340,000. Hence, with most nations still in the spiral of death, one can only imagine the final death toll during the first wave. After…
U.S. military reaches 201 Covid-19 infections in Okinawa since July 4 Kanako Mita and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The July 4 celebration by the military personnel of the United States (U.S.) is backfiring in the fight against coronavirus (Covid-19) in Okinawa. Hence political reverberations on the size of the armed forces of America…
Japan poetry and the Buddhist monk Jien: The suffering world Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The Tendai Buddhist monk Jien (1155-1225) left behind a lasting legacy in the cultural and religious dynamics of Japan. This relates to his poems and historical accounts of the time alongside the Tendai Buddhist angle. Jien was born before…
Tokyo in a new daily high of Covid-19: Allowed to fester in sex areas and now spread Sawako Utsumi and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Once more many media outlets in Japan are over-stating falsehoods about the announcement of 366 new coronavirus (Covid-19) cases in Tokyo. For it isn’t a shock because the coronavirus…
Japan Covid-19: Worrying signs in Aichi, Chiba, Fukuoka, Kanagawa, Osaka, Saitama, and Tokyo Kanako Mita and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The optimism of low new coronavirus (Covid19) cases between early May and the middle of June is now fading in Japan. Instead, major cities including Tokyo and Osaka have enabled the nightlife angle…
America, Australia, and Japan in Naval Exercises in Asia Pacific waters Sawako Utsumi and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The nations of Australia, Japan, and the United States are currently holding trilateral naval exercises in the waters of the Asia Pacific. Thus democratic nations are showing commitment toward the freedom of sea-lanes throughout the…
Japan art and Buddhist Monks in the deep snow with a Shinto Shrine in the distance Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The contemporary Japanese artist Sawako Utsumi utilizes the simplicity of an art piece by Kamisaka Sekka (1866-1942). However, as usual, Utsumi provides her unique angle related to the backdrop of a Shinto…
Japan and its first wave of subsidies to help companies leave China: Covid-19 supply chain Kanako Mita and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The coronavirus (Covid-19) economic convulsions will continue for a long-time to come. Of course, the size of the crisis depends on each individual nation. However, for Japan, it became apparent that…
International Covid-19 deaths reach 600,000: America, Brazil, India, Mexico, and the UK Kanako Mita and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The international death toll from coronavirus (Covid-19) will surpass 600,000 in the next twenty-four hours. Hence, the global economy and a return to normal remains distant even if some nations are in recovery mode.…
Tokyo in fresh high of new Covid-19 cases: All too predictable under Yuriko Koike! Sawako Utsumi and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The new high of coronavirus (Covid-19) cases in Tokyo is all too predictable under the Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike. Hence, an increase prior to the postponement of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics…
New Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo raises deep concern Noriko Watanabe and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Another outbreak of Ebola in western parts of the Democratic Republic of Congo is setting off alarm bells. It is known that 53 confirmed cases have materialized. Therefore, the World Health Organization (WHO) is…
Tokyo Covid-19 alert increased to the highest level based on recent upturn Kanako Mita and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The coronavirus (Covid-19) crisis keeps on ebbing and flowing in Japan since the virus entered in the middle of January. Recently, after conditions got better in most of May and early June, the situation…
Okinawa already burdened by U.S. military bases now fears Covid-19 crisis Sawako Utsumi and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times It is known that approximately 100 infections of coronavirus (Covid-19) have hit several military bases of the United States (U.S.) in Okinawa. This will increase internal discontent in Okinawa because this part of Japan is…
Japan art and the Reflection of Time: Hōitsu and the Persimmon Tree by Utsumi Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times In another stunning art piece by the contemporary Japanese artist Sawako Utsumi, she focuses on a classic by Sakai Hōitsu (1761-1829). However, in her reflection, the dynamics change in relation to the color scheme, meaning,…
Japanese art and a free spirit from the eighteenth century Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The Japanese artist Soga Shōhaku (1730-1781) went against the grain in the eighteenth century because he was greatly influenced by the Muromachi Period. This period, dated 1336 to 1573, but officially coming into existence in 1338, intrigued Shōhaku greatly.…
Iran hit by many recent mysterious explosions: Israel, cyberwars, and shadows Murad Makhmudov and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Iran is reeling this year from the assassination of General Qassem Soleimani on the orders of President Donald Trump of America – to Iran accidentally shooting down a Ukrainian civilian plane that killed 176 individuals.…
Covid-19 rises after Yuriko Koike re-elected in Tokyo: Nightlife angle spreading Sawako Utsumi and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The coronavirus (Covid-19) crisis is once more hitting Tokyo and regional prefectures are starting to fear. Recent optimism of fewer infections in May and early June now seems distant. Therefore, the sex entertainment districts and…
Small child starves to death in Tokyo because nobody bothered to step in Kanako Mita and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Little Noa was only 3-years-old when she passed painfully from this cruel world. It didn’t happen in a remote part of Japan. Instead, it happened in one of the most busiest and dynamic…
Tokyo Covid-19 infections reach a new high of 224: Yes, Yuriko Koike, the nightlife! Sawako Utsumi and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The coronavirus (Covid-19) entered Japan in the middle of January. However, in Tokyo, the highest reported day for new infections is July 9. Once more, just like the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, the…
Zen Buddhist art of Japan: Hakuin Ekaku and teacher of all Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Hakuin Ekaku (1686-1769) revived Rinkai Buddhism in Japan because his roots never left him. Indeed, he was a holy Buddhist preacher who connected easily to ordinary people. Therefore, he understood the complexity of Buddhism in the countryside and…
President Bolsonaro tests positive for Covid-19: Brazil deaths reach 66,000 Sawako Utsumi and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times President Jair Bolsonaro of Brazil notified the public that he had tested positive for coronavirus (Covid-19). Of all the political leaders in the world, he is the most outspoken against the potency of the coronavirus. Despite…
Tokyo Covid-19 cases on the rise: Yuriko Koike and the maddening angle Sawako Utsumi and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike took over a vibrant city that improved dramatically based on the legacy of Shintaro Ishihara (1999-2012). However, her tenure since 2016 is extremely bland outside of grand statements. Shockingly,…
