Japanese foreign minister warns no-deal Brexit will ruin UK-based manufacturing.
Japan's foreign minister Taro Kono has warned against a no-deal Brexit as it will cause havoc for manufacturing.
He also warned that the post-Brexit trade deal with Japan would take a long time to ratify and thus Britain could not count on the flow of trade currentl;y enjoyed with Japan immediately after Brexit.
Would-be PM Jeremy Hunt has pledged that if the UK gets to October without the prospect of the deal, “we will leave with no deal”. – Though he's risked the ire of the ERG Tory Brexit ultras by admitting that renegotiating a new cope with the EU would probably take longer compared to end of October.
His rival Boris Johnson also repeated his pledge to obtain the UK out of the EU on 31 October, but he thinks the chances of a no-deal Brexit happening really are a “million to one”. The EU has repeatedly insisted that it would not renegotiate the EU Withdrawal deal that Johnson referred to as Britain donning a “suicide vest.”
Mr Kono said he'd worked with both Jeremy Hunt and Boris Johnson as foreign secretary and had always said “please no no-deal Brexit”.
The minister urged the leadership candidates to “take good care” of the 1,000 Japanese companies operating in the UK once they enter Downing Street.
“We are extremely worried about this no-deal Brexit,” he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme. “That would have a very negative effect on their operation.
“Right now, it's my counterpart Jeremy Hunt and his predecessor Boris Johnson – I understand them very well, I have been dealing with them.
“So, whoever wins and whoever turns into a new leader for the UK would consider those foreign companies operating in the united kingdom and take better care of them.”
“Some companies already start moving their operation to other places in Europe,” he added.
Mr Kono said he was particularly concerned about car companies relying on just-in-time supply chains, which currently have a “very smooth operation” importing and exporting to central Europe but may grind to some halt with no deal.
“If they need to go through actual customs inspections physically those operations might not be able to continue,” he said.
“Whenever we have had meetings that was one of the leading issues – please no no-deal Brexit.”
Mr Kono said he understood the UK was interested in joining the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP), whose members include Japan, the united states and Australia.
He said: “Considering the connection between UK and Japan we are pleased to negotiate a brand new trade deal, but I think you need to get free from the EU first before we are able to negotiate.”
He said any trade deal wouldn't begin immediately after Brexit there would be “some type of gap” where the UK had to trade on World Trade Organisation (WTO) rules.
“We need to pass the treaty through the parliament, therefore it would take some time,” he said.
“Right now there is likely to be some kind of gap between once the UK leaves the EU and we can ratify a new trade deal-
“There is going to be some type of gap where we must go back to the WTO rules.”
What would a no-deal Brexit mean?
Mr Kono added Mr Johnson had autographed a copy of his book The Churchill Factor and described him as “so kind” as to drink peach juice from Fukishima, that was hit by a nuclear disaster resulting in food import restrictions in the UK.
He praised Mr Hunt's Japanese language skills and said “he has very good understanding of Japan and Asia” and that both men were “very good friends of mine”.
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