PanOrient News | Japanese commentator says Maduro may have been taken with Russia’s blessing

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Op-Ed

Japanese commentator says Maduro may have been taken with Russia’s blessing

Tuesday, January 6, 2026

Takeo Harada

PanOrient News

(Tokyo- Tuesday January 6, 2026) A prominent Japanese commentator has expressed the view that the kidnapping of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro by the United States constitutes a form of "negotiated exile," with Russia being a party to this arrangement.

Takeo Harada, the head of the Institute for International Strategy and Information Analysis, believes that the kidnapping was “substantively settled in advance” and that it may hold ramifications for the critical issues facing East Asia, specifically regarding North Korea and Taiwan.

It is evident that Moscow has been engaging in package deals with Washington to secure certain concessions in relation to the situation in Ukraine, according to Harada.

"Venezuela is theoretically a significant factor for Russia in securing concessions from the United States. Additionally, it may yield a more favorable outcome in the currently stagnant peace negotiations. Historically, global powers such as the United States and Russia have engaged in similar agreements discreetly."

Harada posits that President Trump may seek to mitigate domestic issues by increasing involvement abroad. He articulates, "There is a strong incentive to manufacture external tension through foreign policy, making East Asia a highly probable arena."

One possible action the US might pursue, Harada says, is regime change aimed at North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, possibly through “exile to the United States or a third country,” as well as pressure being applied to Taiwan.

In Harada's view, the pertinent question is not whether, but rather when, the United States will impact Asia. He proposes that "the most likely window would be during the APEC season between September and November" or "between late January and March, coinciding with Japan's regular Diet session." These dates, he says, have been suggested to him by “US intelligence agencies.” (PanOrient News)