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Iran and Tyranny: Remembering Nika Shakarami and Countless Others Iran and Tyranny: Remembering Nika Shakarami and Countless Others Kanako Mita, Sawako Utsumi, and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The Iranian Revolution of 1979 promised a new political and religious order. Yet generations of Iranians, particularly women and young people, have experienced a system in which personal freedoms, diss…

Japanese Art and High Culture (Pre-Edo to Meiji Born Artists) Japanese Art and High Culture (Pre-Edo to Meiji Born Artists) Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The influence of Buddhism on the art of Kaihō Yūshō (1533–1615) is unmistakable, just as Buddhism occupied an important place throughout his life. He was far from alone in this respect, for many Japanese artists of his era drew inspiration f…

Ethiopia: Abiy Ahmed and Power Concentration (Dangerous Return of Regional Conflict) Ethiopia: Abiy Ahmed and Power Concentration (Dangerous Return of Regional Conflict) Kanako Mita, Sawako Utsumi, and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The leadership of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has become increasingly defined by the struggle between centralized state power and Ethiopia’s competing ethnic, region…

Aoyama Masaharu: Japanese Art, Ink, and the Quiet Spirit of Modernity Aoyama Masaharu: Japanese Art, Ink, and the Quiet Spirit of Modernity Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Aoyama Masaharu (also known as Seiji Aoyama) was born in Saitama Prefecture in 1893, during the final years of the Meiji Period—a transformative age when Japan was navigating the complex meeting point between its ancient cult…

North Korea and Cyber Warfare (Lazarus Group and ByBit Hack – Lawsuit Filed) North Korea and Cyber Warfare (Lazarus Group and ByBit Hack – Lawsuit Filed) Kanako Mita, Sawako Utsumi, and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times North Korea’s alleged involvement in the $1.5 billion cryptocurrency theft from ByBit in early 2025 highlights the evolving relationship between cyber warfare, intelligence operat…

Japanese Art – Delightful Mix Japanese Art – Delightful Mix Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Matsubayashi Keigetsu (1876–1963) stands as a serene guardian of tradition, a contemplative spirit whose art unfolds gently against the restless tides of modernity. Through his brush, Nanga—the literati tradition deeply influenced by Chinese poetry, philosophy, and painting—becomes more than an inherited…

Pakistan Hit by Islamist Terrorist Attack in Kohat Pakistan Hit by Islamist Terrorist Attack in Kohat Murad Makhmudov, Noriko Watanabe, and Hiroshi Saito Modern Tokyo Times An Islamist terrorist attack in Kohat (Province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa – Pakistan) has killed at least 21 people and injured more than 80, with subsequent reports indicating over 100 wounded. The coordinated assault on Septembe…

Japanese Art: Buddhism to Nature by Kawabata Gyokusho Japanese Art: Buddhism to Nature by Kawabata Gyokusho Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Kawabata Gyokusho (1842–1913) was born during the late Edo Period, yet his artistic identity blossomed amid the sweeping cultural, political, and social transformations of the Meiji Period (1868–1912). Passing away in the early Taisho Period, Gyokusho belon…

Sahel Region and Crisis in Mali: Military Rule, Islamist Insurgency, and Fragmentation Sahel Region and Crisis in Mali: Military Rule, Islamist Insurgency, and Fragmentation Kanako Mita, Sawako Utsumi, and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The Sahel continues to endure a profound geopolitical and humanitarian crisis, with 2026 exposing the mounting weaknesses of state authority across Burkina Fas…

Japan Art and Reimagining L. S. Lowry Through Northern Japanese Eyes Japan Art and Reimagining L. S. Lowry Through Northern Japanese Eyes Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Sawako Utsumi is a contemporary artist from northern Japan whose work frequently enters into a fascinating artistic conversation with Britain. Several of her works reveal a particular admiration for the enigmatic northern Engli…