Australia, Japan sign A$10 billion deal on warships - Taipei Times

Australia and Japan yesterday signed contracts to deliver the first three of a A$10 billion (US$7.2 billion) order of Japanese-designed warships, with the first due for delivery in three years.

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries would build the first three Mogami-class frigates in Japan, while Australia plans to build another eight in a shipyard in Western Australia state.

Japanese Minister of Defense Shinjiro Koizumi and his Australian counterpart Richard Marles attended a signing ceremony aboard the Mogami-class frigate JS Kumano, which is part of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Forces, docked off the Australian city of Melbourne.

Photo: AFP

The Kumano had taken part in the recent Exercise Kakadu, biennial multinational maritime drills hosted by Australia.

The Japanese-designed fleet would replace Australia's aging ANZAC-class frigates, which are considered increasingly vulnerable to modern missile and drone attack.

The Japanese frigates were a major step toward delivering Australia with a larger and more lethal surface combat fleet, Marles said.

The first of the Mogami-class frigates is due to arrive in Australia in 2029.

"The timeframe that we've announced is the fastest acquisition of a surface combatant into service in the Royal Australian Navy ever, and so this is a very rapid timeframe," Marles said, adding that the country welcomed Japan's relaxation of export controls on defense equipment and technology with "trusted partners like Australia."

"Japan is an industrial powerhouse and it offers so much opportunity for Australia and the development of our own defense industry, as the Mogami project represents," he said.

Koizumi said that the introduction of Japanese vessels into the Australian navy meant "a major step is finally being taken to elevate our bilateral defense cooperation to a greater height."

Japan continued to be Australia's "indispensable partner" in a new Australian defense strategy announced this week, in which A$53 billion would be added to the defense budget over a decade, he said.

A "decisive factor" in Australia choosing the Japanese frigate was that it could be operated with just 90 personnel, about half the crew of Australia's current ANZAC-class version, he added.

Australia said its Mogami-class frigates would be equipped with surface-to-air and anti-shipping missiles, and could operate combat helicopters. They would be crewed by 92 sailors and officers.