TOKYO — British International Trade Secretary Liz Truss will visit Japan later this week to ink a post-Brexit bilateral free trade agreement, Kyodo cited the Japanese Foreign Ministry as saying on Wednesday.

Truss will sign the deal at a ceremony with Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi on Friday, setting the stage for domestic ratification procedures as they aim to put the agreement into force next January, the ministry said.

The two countries had negotiated the deal as the existing free trade agreement between Japan and the European Union will not cover the United Kingdom beyond December when the Brexit transition period ends.

By signing the deal, "interests earned by Japan under the Japan-EU economic partnership agreement will continue and the business continuity of Japanese companies will also be ensured," the ministry said in a statement.

After launching negotiations in June, Motegi and Truss agreed in principle on the deal in September. — SPA