Theresa May visited Japan this week as part of three-day trip to Asia. The UK Government is hoping to use the visit to strengthen ties and increase influence in the region. Also on the tour is the Scottish Whisky Association, which has strong links with the far east. Japanese firms such as Suntory own around 5% of the Scottish whisky industry.

The trip comes at a time when the UK beef sector is hoping to sell meat to Japan. Japanese officials have already visited UK farms, abattoirs and laboratories as trade talks progress. Laurent Vernet, head of marketing at Quality Meat Scotland, described Japan as an a “key market which offers exciting opportunities for the future.”