Japan's richest man fears Brexit could turn UK into 'sick man of Europe' cnn.com

London (CNN Business) Japan's richest man has warned that Brexit is "practically impossible" and could take the United Kingdom back to the economic stagnation of the 1970s when the country was often described as the "sick man of Europe."
Fast Retailing FRCOF Tadashi Yanai, the billionaire founder and CEO of, said the United Kingdom had benefited for many years from being an open economy.
"I think Brexit is practically impossible because the old borders will be shaky and the UK has a Northern Ireland issue and a Scotland issue," Yanai told CNN Business.
"Therefore, I think Brexit is difficult to realize even if the UK wants to do it."
"If Brexit does happen, the UK could revert back to the former situation before the Margaret Thatcher era, when the UK was referred to as the sick man of Europe.