TPP With UK Takes Effect As Japan Hopes To Expand Free Trade

The accession of Britain to a trans-Pacific free trade pact, which includes member countries with ties to the region, has taken effect, marking the first expansion of the framework since its inception in 2018, Kyodo News reported.

Since leaving the European Union, Britain has sought to strengthen trade ties with the Indo-Pacific region, signing a bilateral free trade agreement with Japan that took effect in 2021.

Britain's participation in the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) raises the number of member nations to 12, increasing the bloc's share of global economic output from 12 percent to 15 percent.

U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, who is set to return to the White House in January, withdrew the U.S. from the framework during his first administration (2017–2021) as part of his "America First" trade policy.

Since leaving the European Union, Britain has sought to strengthen trade ties with the Indo-Pacific region, signing a bilateral free trade agreement with Japan that took effect in 2021.

The two nations are close allies of the U.S.

The expanded TPP is expected to accelerate the removal of tariffs on Japanese goods traded with Britain under the bilateral deal, including the immediate abolition of tariffs on tires for construction machinery.

The other members of the CPTPP are Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, and Vietnam.