UK Seafood Webinar CG's adress

Thank you very much for inviting me to join this webinar from Edinburgh. I am encouraged to observe familiar names such as the Scottish Salmon Company, my neighbour in the West End, as well as Scottish Development International, the UK Department of International Trade and Seafood Scotland.　
 

I would like to commend them for the great timing of this webinar, only 3 days after the Japan-UK Free Trade Agreement was signed, the first ever trade agreement signed by the UK government after Brexit,
 

The agreement includes a long list of geographical indications (GIs). From January the 1st next year, over 70 Scottish products such as Scottish salmon will be protected in the Japanese market. Among them, I must confess that I have not tasted yet is Arbroath Smokies. which looks like a delicious Japanese soul food, ajino-hiraki.
 

Another obvious element is COVID. Although the pandemic adds to the cost of long-distance travel, paradoxically we can be connected more efficiently by digital communication like today. And I expect that quality and hygiene of the food industry will be highly valued more than ever in the new normal to prevent the spread of disease.
 

These new developments could actually offer great opportunities for the Scottish seafood export to Japan because digital communication can be useful in transcending long distance and because quality and hygiene is distinctive characteristics of the Japanese market and Scottish products.
 

In this changing environment caused by the pandemic, the Consulate General of Japan is in regular contact with Directorate for Business and External Relations of the Scottish government as well as the Scottish Parliament’s Cross-Party Group on Japan in order to ensure the smooth operations of the Japanese companies in Scotland. I hope that today’s webinar will be also be useful in further promoting our economic relations.
 

Thank you very much.