Tue Aug 05 05:25:45 UTC 2025: ## Australia and Japan Forge Historic Defence Deal with Mogami-Class Frigate Agreement
**Canberra, Australia** – Australia and Japan have cemented their strategic partnership with a landmark defence agreement that will see the Royal Australian Navy bolstered by 11 advanced Mogami-class frigates. The deal, hailed as the largest ever between the two nations in the defence industry, was announced Tuesday by Australian Defence Minister Richard Marles.
The frigates, built by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries of Japan, are stealth-capable vessels equipped with long-range missiles and boasting an impressive operational range of 10,000 nautical miles (18,520km). This significantly surpasses the range of Australia’s current Anzac-class frigates.
While the specific price tag for the frigates remains undisclosed, it forms part of a broader $55 billion AUD ($35.5 billion USD) investment by Australia over the next decade to modernize its surface combatant fleet. Reuters reports that the initial contract will see three frigates constructed in Japan, with the remaining eight expected to be built in Australia.
“This is clearly the biggest defence-industry agreement that has ever been struck between Japan and Australia,” said Minister Marles. He emphasized the frigates’ “next-generation” capabilities and their crucial role in projecting Australian naval power in a strategically challenging environment.
Defence Industry Minister Pat Conroy highlighted the substantial upgrade in firepower, noting that the frigates will increase Australia’s air defense missile capacity from 32 to 128.
For Japan, the agreement represents a significant milestone in its defence export policy. This is the country’s largest defence deal since lifting its ban on military exports in 2014, and only the second following an agreement to supply air defence radars to the Philippines.
Japanese Defence Minister Gen Nakatani described the deal as a “major step forward in Japan’s defence cooperation efforts.” He emphasized the enhanced joint operations and interoperability with both Australia and the United States that will result from the collaboration, calling it of “significant security importance to Japan.”
Negotiations for the final contract are expected to commence this year, with a formal agreement anticipated in 2026. The first Mogami-class frigate is slated to enter service with the Australian Navy by 2030.
The agreement comes as Australia undertakes a major military restructuring, prioritizing long-range strike capabilities in response to China’s growing naval power and aiming to expand its fleet of major warships from 11 to 26 over the next decade.
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