Post-Brexit Britain welcome to join Pacific trade pact – Japan PM Abe

Japan would welcome Britain to the Pacific trade deal “with open arms” after Brexit, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has said. Abe told the Financial Times in an interview published on Monday that Britain would lose its role as a gateway to Europe after Brexit, but would still be a country “equipped with global strength.” Eleven countries circling the Pacific signed a slimmed-down version of the Trans-Pacific Partnership or TPP in March - opting to proceed with the trade deal after US President Donald Trump pulled out to pursue his “America First” agenda. The US president has since sparked fears of a trade war by levying steep tariffs and denouncing unfair trading practices. Last month, Japanese car giant Toyota warned that a no-deal Brexit would temporarily halt production at its plant in Derby, central England, AFP reports.