Boris Johnson wins in London: Tokyo prepares for impact of Brexit

British Conservative Prime Minister Boris Johnson's party won a large majority in Parliament in yesterday's elections. The spokesman of the Japanese government: "We have asked the United Kingdom and the European Union to avoid a no-deal Brexit ". In 2018, trade between London and Tokyo for 35.47 billion euros.

Tokyo (AsiaNews / Agencies) - Japan is committed to reducing the impact of Brexit on Japanese companies, said a government spokesman this morning following the result of the general elections in the United Kingdom. The confirmed victory of Boris Johnson's conservatives strengthens the possibility of London leaving the European Union (EU) at the end of January.

"We asked the UK and the EU to avoid a no-deal Brexit and to minimize the impact on Japanese companies' operations," said Yoshihide Suga head secretary at a press conference. "We will observe - he added - how things develop and we will take the necessary measures".

Suga also said that after Brexit, Tokyo will try to reach a Japan-UK free trade agreement quickly. British Conservative Prime Minister Boris Johnson's party won a large majority in Parliament in yesterday's elections. In the past few months, Johnson has stated that he hopes to sign commercial agreements with Tokyo and the United States within the next three years.

Japan is one of the largest foreign investors in Great Britain, encouraged by the British governments that have guaranteed a favorable base for businesses from which to trade throughout Europe. Britain's decision to leave the European Union has raised fears that Japanese companies will move operations elsewhere if they can no longer benefit from tariff-free trade with the rest of the European bloc.

After the European bloc, the United States and China, Japan is the largest market for British exports. In 2018, trade between London and Tokyo reached a value of 29.5 billion pounds (35.47 billion euros).

Currently, around 1,000 Japanese companies benefit from privileged economic relations with London. They employ around 150,000 people: automotive brands like Nissan, Toyota and Honda stand out, which together produce about half of the 1.7 million cars that leave British factories every year. Added to these are the SoftBank Group Corporation, a holding company in the technology sector, and Uniqlo, a multinational clothing company.

• japan
• united kingdom
• brexit
• boris johnson
• shinzo abe
• economy
• trade
• agreements
• employment
• tariffs
• trade