Japan’s PM Sanae Takaichi Posts on X about U.S. Attack on Venezuela, Neither Supporting Nor Criticizing Move

The Yomiuri Shimbun

13:56 JST, January 5, 2026

After the U.S. attack on Venezuela, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi wrote on X on Sunday that Japan would “advance diplomatic efforts toward stabilizing the situation.”

While questions have been raised about the legitimacy of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro’s government, the U.S. offensive has also drawn accusations of violating international law.

Takaichi neither supported nor criticized the move by the United States.

In her post on X, the prime minister said she had “consistently emphasized the importance of democracy being restored in Venezuela.”

The Group of 7 advanced democracies, including Japan, issued a foreign ministers’ statement last January condemning what it called a “lack of democratic legitimacy,” after Maduro held an inauguration ceremony while allegations of election fraud remained unresolved.

Japan’s Foreign Ministry released a statement on Sunday by Toshihiro Kitamura, the ministry’s press secretary, but it was limited to general remarks, saying Japan has placed importance on respect for the principles of international law. Some countries have criticized the United States as acting in violation of international law, but Japan appears to have kept its language restrained out of consideration for its alliance with Washington.

For Japan, Venezuela is not a major trading partner, and the situation is seen as having little impact on Japan’s national interests.

“We want to carefully asses whether the U.S. action is justified,” a governmental official said.

Still, criticism of the U.S. move has also emerged from both ruling and opposition parties. Itsunori Onodera, the Liberal Democratic Party’s head of the security research council, wrote on X on Sunday that the attack was “the very definition of changing the status quo by force,” and said it contradicted the logic to condemn China and Russia. Yoshihiko Noda, the leader of the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, told a news conference in Ise, Mie Prefecture, that he had “serious doubts” about whether the action had legitimacy under international law.