LONDON

The UK and Japan signed a "landmark agreement" on Wednesday, allowing them to deploy military forces on each another's territory.

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and his Japanese counterpart Fumio Kishida signed the "UK-Japan Reciprocal Access Agreement" (RAA) at the Tower of London.

The UK government said in a statement that the accord was "the most significant defence agreement between the two countries in more than a century."

"The UK will be the first European country to have a Reciprocal Access Agreement with Japan," added the statement.

It noted that the agreement would also reinforce the UK's "unwavering commitment" to ensuring the security and stability of the Indo-Pacific region.