Prime minister Theresa May said at the weekend that she wanted to take her time to secure the best trade deals for a post-Brexit Britain, and reiterated—in her trademark vague terms—that the so-called Article 50 won't be triggered this year. But political pressure from governments as far away as Japan continues to mount.

On Sunday, in a bold move, the Japanese government published a 15-page memo (PDF) setting out a number of demands it wants the UK to adhere to, once it leaves the European Union.

It underscored that Britain faces a torrid time of negotiations—not just with member states in the EU, but further afield, too.

Japan, which has close economic ties with the UK, listed its demands based on requests from businesses in the country. It said:

Since Europe including the UK is a major trading partner and investment destination for other countries in Asia as well as of Japan, it is in the common interest of all Asian countries as a whole that they continue to have access to the free market of Europe, including the UK. It is of great importance that the UK and the EU maintain market integrity and remain attractive destinations for businesses where free trade, unfettered investment, and smooth financial transactions are ensured. In light of the fact that a number of Japanese businesses, invited by the government in some cases, have invested actively to the UK, which was seen to be a gateway to Europe, and have established value-chains across Europe, we strongly request that the UK will consider this fact seriously and respond in a responsible manner to minimise any harmful effects on these businesses.

It's brutal stuff from Japan, and could well lead to other countries making similarly robust demands.

On tech specifically, the Japanese government called on the UK and EU, post-Brexit, to maintain cloud agreements between businesses at an international level, by safeguarding the "free transfer of data." Here's the list in full:

[Requests directed at the UK and the EU]

maintenance of the current tariff rates and customs clearance procedures;

・introduction of provisions for cumulative rules of origin;

・maintenance of the access to workers who are nationals of the UK or the EU;

・maintenance of the freedom of establishment and the provision of financial services, including the “single passport” system;

・maintenance of the freedom of cross-border investment and the provision of services as well as the free movement of capital, including that between associated companies;

・maintenance of the current level of information protection and the free transfer of data;

・unified protection of intellectual property rights;

・maintenance of harmonisation of the regulations and standards between the UK and the EU (including the maintenance of established frameworks of mutual recognition and equivalence);

・securing the UK’s function as a clearing centre for the Euro and the location within the UK of EU agencies such as the European Medicines Agency (EMA); and

・maintenance of the UK’s access to the EU budget for research and development and participation in the Japan-EU joint research project.

[Additional requests directed at the UK]

・liberalisation of trade in goods without the burdens of customs duties and procedures;

・maintenance of access to workers with the necessary skills;

・maintenance of basic policies regarding the entry of foreign capital;

・implementation of measures to promote investment;

・maintenance of the current levels of information protection and the free transfer of data in case the UK establishes its own legislation distinct from the EU’s;

・ensuring the consistency of regulations and standards between the UK and the EU; and

・ensuring that the EU’s research and development budget applies to research institutions in the UK.

[Additional request directed at the EU]

・provision of transitional arrangements for the single passporting system.

PM May is currently in China with other world leaders at the G20 summit, where she will be attempting to horse trade on global trade and investment with her peers on Brexit.

But over the weekend, US president Obama repeated his earlier disappointment that the UK had voted to leave the EU. When quizzed, he said that Britain was at the back of the queue, saying "it would not make sense" for the US to put the UK ahead of Asia and the EU on trade deals.

"We’re going to do everything we can to make sure that the consequences of the decision don’t end up unraveling what is already a very strong and robust economic relationship," Obama said, before adding that "the first task is going to be figuring out what Brexit means with respect to Europe."

On Monday afternoon MPs will debate a call, based on a public petition, for a second EU referendum—something that May has already said won't happen on her watch.