A NORTH KOREAN missile whizzing over Japan immediately before Theresa May’s arrival in the country on August 30th provided the British prime minister with a reminder that there is more to life than Brexit. Mrs May had set off for three days of talks on trade and—appropriately—defence with Shinzo…
A NORTH KOREAN missile whizzing over Japan immediately before Theresa May’s arrival in the country on August 30th provided the British prime minister with a reminder that there is more to life than Brexit. Mrs May had set off for three days of talks on trade and—appropriately—defence with Shinzo Abe, her Japanese counterpart. But the inclusion of a band of British executives hawking Scottish whisky and Aston Martins indicated that Britain was focused on the former subject.
Japan has been a polite but pointed critic of Brexit, going further than other countries in laying out its demands and expectations for its future trading relationship with Britain. While British politicians flailed over what type of Brexit to pursue last summer, the Japanese government circulated a 15-page memo-cum-wishlist outlining its own view. Published two months after the referendum, it provided a clear-eyed diagnosis of the hurdles facing Britain. Almost exactly one year on, most of the issues raised have still not been solved. The future of tariffs, customs clearance, free movement, euro clearing, intellectual property rights and the regulation of industries such as pharmaceuticals are up in the air.
Only a recent acceptance among British politicians that some form of transition deal was necessary has provided Japanese officials with any relief.
