Britain's acceptance in CPTPP headed for approval Sunday

Adding the UK to the trans-Pacific trade agreement is expected to win formal approval Sunday. Ministers from the 11 countries in the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership are set to greenlight the move at a meeting in New Zealand.

Japan is a member and will be represented by Economic Revitalization Minister Goto Shigeyuki. The pact, widely known as the CPTPP, came into force on Wednesday in all 11 countries that originally signed it. This comes after Brunei completed its ratification process. The UK would be the first European country to join. The combined population of countries in the bloc will be about 580 million, representing total GDP of around 15 trillion dollars.