Japan CDP Chief Criticizes U.S. Strike on Venezuela

Jiji Press

12:51 JST, January 5, 2026

Ise, Mie Pref., Jan. 4 (Jiji Press)—Yoshihiko Noda, leader of the main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, on Sunday criticized the U..S. military operations against Venezuela.

“It is extremely doubtful whether the U.S. action can be justified under international law,” Noda told a press conference in the city of Ise, Mie Prefecture, central Japan. The United States “did too much,” he added.

Japan should assess the U.S. action based on the principle that acts to change the status quo by force are intolerable, even though the United States is Japan’s ally, he added.

If the U.S. military operations are tolerated, “Russia could justify its invasion of Ukraine and countries in Asia could be tempted to do a similar thing,” Noda said, adding that such a situation “will only be bad for the world.”

“Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi would lose her right to argue for the importance of the rule of law if she fails to protest the rogue action,” Japanese Communist Party executive Kazuo Shii said on X, formerly Twitter, stressing that Takaishi should not hesitate to criticize the U.S. behavior.

Meanwhile, Yuichiro Tamaki, leader of the opposition Democratic Party for the People, avoided making a judgment on the U.S. military operations.

“We must face up to the fact that the world is changing drastically,” he said at a press conference in Ise. “People are strongly called on to defend their countries on their own,” Tamaki said.