French Message to Japan Inc.: U.K. Presence in EU Is Finished

Foreign Minister responds to questions after a speech in Tokyo
Le Drian met with Japanese business leaders during trip

An employee inspects new Nissan automobiles, produced by Nissan Motor Co., at the Port of Tyne, South Shields, U.K., on Wednesday, March 12, 2014. About 80 percent of the 1.5 million vehicles made in the U.K. are sold overseas, the majority of them to the EU, according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders.
Photographer: Chris Ratcliffe/Bloomberg

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By Isabel Reynolds

January 29, 2018 at 9:16 AM UTC

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The British presence in the European Union is over and Japanese businesses should be aware of the consequences, France’s Foreign Affairs Minister said.

Jean-Yves Le Drian was responding to a question about Brexit on the final day of a visit to Japan, during which he met with business leaders. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was a vocal opponent of the U.K.’s exit from the bloc and has repeatedly sought reassurance about its effects on Japanese companies operating in Britain, who include giant car makers Nissan and Honda.