The defense deal is the latest example of deepening ties between Canberra and Tokyo amid shared concerns over China’s rise.
Published on 19 April 2026
Australia and Japan have signed contracts for the first three of 11 warships to be delivered to the Australian Navy under a landmark $7 billion defense deal, as the two close US allies in the Asia Pacific region deepen defense cooperation.
Australian Defense Minister Richard Marles and Japanese Defense Minister Koizumi Shinjiro made the announcement at the signing ceremony of the Mogami-class frigates in Melbourne on Saturday.
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The “Mogami Memorandum” promises to deepen military ties, including “close industrial cooperation” in defence.
Japan’s Mitsubishi Heavy Industries will build three stealth frigates in southern Nagasaki Prefecture, while Australia’s Austal will build eight in Western Australia.
The first of the Japan-built warships will be delivered in 2029 and will enter service in 2030.
“Our surface fleet is more critical than at any time in decades,” Marles said in a statement.
“These general purpose warships will help secure our maritime trade routes and northern approaches as part of a larger and more lethal surface combatant fleet.”
Shinjiro said close defense coordination was becoming more important as Australia and Japan faced an “increasingly critical security environment”.
Australia’s government announced last year that it had chosen Mitsubishi Heavy Industries to build its fleet of next-generation warships, following a bidding war between the Tokyo-based firm and Germany’s ThyssenKrupp.
Australia has committed a record $305 billion in military spending over the next decade, part of a sweeping defense reform aimed at boosting the country’s naval power to levels not seen since World War II.
Under the plans, Canberra’s defense spending will increase to 3 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP) by 2033, from about 2 per cent now.
Australia and Japan, two of the United States’ closest allies, have increased military cooperation in recent years amid shared concerns about changes in the regional security environment, particularly the growing influence of China. Tokyo and Canberra are also members of the US-led Quad security bloc.
