May visits Japan with 'lofty' goal of mirroring EU trade deal
Will PM's three-day trip allay Brexit fears and strengthen ties with Tokyo?
Theresa May began a short trip to Japan today, telling reporters that the UK wants to retain the terms of a nearly-finalised EU-Japan trade deal post-Brexit.
"There's obviously a number of trade deals that the EU has with other countries and we are looking at the possibility of those being able to be brought over into… trade deals with the United Kingdom," the Prime Minister said.
But persuading Japan to agree to trade with Britain on the same terms as the EU is a "lofty goal", Bloomberg writes. Prior to May's visit, Japanese officials said there would not be "substantial progress" on a trade deal until the UK's future relationship with the EU was clarified, dashing May's hopes, the Financial Times reports.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Senior government minister Yasutoshi Nishimura suggested yesterday that Japan needed the British Prime Minister to ease a "sense of crisis" among businesses that are heavily invested in the UK.
Japan's direct investment in the UK is more than £71bn. This consists of more than 1,000 Japanese businesses and 140,000 staff, the Daily Telegraph reports.
May is travelling with Industry Secretary Liam Fox, 15 UK business executives and the director general of the Confederation of British Industry and Trade.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Political cartoons for January 18Cartoons Sunday’s political cartoons include cost of living, endless supply of greed, and more
-
Exploring ancient forests on three continentsThe Week Recommends Reconnecting with historic nature across the world
-
How oil tankers have been weaponisedThe Explainer The seizure of a Russian tanker in the Atlantic last week has drawn attention to the country’s clandestine shipping network
-
Why Greenland’s natural resources are nearly impossible to mineThe Explainer The country’s natural landscape makes the task extremely difficult
-
Iran cuts internet as protests escalateSpeed Reada Government buildings across the country have been set on fire
-
US nabs ‘shadow’ tanker claimed by RussiaSpeed Read The ship was one of two vessels seized by the US military
-
How Bulgaria’s government fell amid mass protestsThe Explainer The country’s prime minister resigned as part of the fallout
-
Japan’s Princess Aiko is a national star. Her fans want even more.IN THE SPOTLIGHT Fresh off her first solo state visit to Laos, Princess Aiko has become the face of a Japanese royal family facing 21st-century obsolescence
-
Femicide: Italy’s newest crimeThe Explainer Landmark law to criminalise murder of a woman as an ‘act of hatred’ or ‘subjugation’ but critics say Italy is still deeply patriarchal
-
Brazil’s Bolsonaro behind bars after appeals run outSpeed Read He will serve 27 years in prison
-
Americans traveling abroad face renewed criticism in the Trump eraThe Explainer Some of Trump’s behavior has Americans being questioned