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Hi Mike
I suppose that the Japanese could have just been snooping around. They would not have had access to the large amount of information on coastal defences etc gathered by the Nantucket whaling fleet during their operations in southern waters. It's quite extensive I hear though probably a bit dated by WW2 anyhow.
I don't know how active the Japanese whalers were in the first half of the last century. They've come to world attention in more recent times.
Britain's entry into the common market caused hardship in a number of Commonwealth countries that relied on trade with the mother country. Resumption of trade should be a real possibility and ease Britain's exit from the hideously bureaucratic EU.
Richard, as we found out on a visit to Somerset some years ago, they didn't pull all of the apple trees, there was still plenty of scrumpy available.

David