SEOUL - The Republic of Korea and Japan are poised to sign what would be their first military accord since Japan's colonial occupation of the Korean peninsula, local media reported Wednesday.

The foreign ministries of the two countries will sign the General Security of Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA) as early as Thursday, Seoul's Yonhap News Agency said citing an unnamed government official.

The pact will allow the two sides to exchange military intelligence on the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) and its nuclear and missile programs, which supporters say will boost intelligence capability on both parts.

ROK's Cabinet already endorsed the accord earlier this week, effectively concluding domestic procedures to seal the deal, according to Yonhap.

Opposition lawmakers and civic activists have voiced concern that forging a military pact with ROK's former colonial occupier will trigger the anti-Japan sentiment here and create regional tensions.

Seoul and Tokyo still remain at odds over various historical issues, including the persistent territorial disputes over a set of islets and Korean women who were forced into sex slavery during the World War II.

Japan's 35-year colonial rule of the Korean peninsula ended in 1945.