Theresa May visited the Japanese leader Shinzo Abe in August and could be back again if Britain tries to join the Trans-Pacific trade partnership

The government is considering joining a free trade area on the Pacific rim that includes Canada, Mexico and Japan once Britain has left the European Union.

In an attempt to gain new export markets after Brexit, officials have broached the idea of signing up to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership. Britain would be the first participant that borders neither the Pacific Ocean nor the South China Sea. The Pacific is 4,500 miles from London.

The trade agreement was one of President Obama’s main achievements but it was bitterly attacked by Donald Trump, who called it “a rape of our country” and a “disaster done and pushed by special interests” before he pulled America out in January last year.

Its 11 remaining members