Prince William is dressed as samurai warrior in Japan

The Duke of Cambridge was dressed as a famous samurai warrior during a visit to the set of a long-running historical drama in Japan.

Prince William visited a Tokyo studio where a popular costume drama is filmed - dressing as a samurai who unified the country in the 16th century.

However, he stopped short of wearing a samurai wig, saying his brother Prince Harry would "never let me forget it".

He is on a week-long visit to Japan and China to promote UK relations.

The duke dressed in the costume of samurai warlord, Toyotomi Hideyoshi - who features in the Japanese historical drama Taiga - during the visit to Japan's public broadcaster NHK.

He wore a glittering helmet, a red and gold tunic and carried a replica samurai sword.

'Ready for action'

As staff put the helmet on his head, Prince William joked: "I feel there should be a sword in my hand as well."

Once dressed, he looked into a mirror and asked: "How do I look?" before adding: "I feel ready for action."

The Duke of Cambridge was given a gift by an actress during the visit to the set of the historical drama

Before dressing up, he watched three geisha actresses dance, while another played a three-stringed instrument, called a shamisen.

Mao Inoue, the female star of Hana Moyu, who plays a character called Humi Sugi in the popular television programme, presented the duke with a bouquet of flowers and a hand-made wooden toy for Prince George.

The duke began his four-day visit to Japan - his first visit to the country - on Thursday by taking part in a traditional tea ceremony in the capital Tokyo.

The last time a senior member of Britain's royal family visited Japan was in 2008, when the duke's father, Prince Charles, came with his wife Camilla.

He also met NHK's mascot "Domo" during the visit to broadcaster's studios

The duke shook hands with fans when he arrived at a book shop in Tokyo

Prince William is carrying out a four-day visit to Japan to promote UK relations

One well-wisher dressed a bulldog in a tie featuring the Union Jack