Australia announces new warships will come from Japan

Japan Times

5 days ago

In a major breakthrough for Japan's defense industry, Australia announced Tuesday that it will purchase 11 Japanese frigates in what will be Tokyo's biggest-ever defense contract and a critical step for bilateral relations.
Australian Defense Minister Richard Marles said that an upgraded version of the Mogami-class frigate proposed by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) was assessed as the 'best able to quickly meet the capability requirements and strategic needs of the Australian Defence Force,' following a competitive bidding process for the 10 billion Australian dollar ($6.48 billion) project.
In Tokyo, Defense Minister Gen Nakatani welcomed the news later Tuesday, telling a news conference that the decision 'marks a significant step toward further enhancing security cooperation.'
'The selection is a testament to the trust in Japan's advanced technological capabilities and the importance of interoperability between the Self-Defense Forces and the Australian military,' he said.
MHI was chosen by the country's National Security Committee as the preferred partner in its decadelong Project Sea 3000 over Germany's Thyssenkrupp Marine Systems, which had offered its Meko A-200 warship.
Although Marles said that Australia and Japan's shared concerns over China's growing military assertiveness 'didn't influence' the process, observers had long speculated that Beijing's moves would be a key factor in any decision.
The quasi-allies have been closely coordinating their national security policies in recent years, and the Mogami sales pitch was presented by Japan as a way to further operationalize the partnership through stronger industrial cooperation and interoperability.
'There is no country in the world with whom we have a greater strategic alignment, and that is being reflected in a really blossoming defense relationship,' he said.
The upgraded Mogami class will help secure Australia's maritime trade routes and northern approaches as part of a larger and more lethal naval surface combatant fleet, Marles said, as it replaces the navy's Anzac-class warships.
A sailor stands near the MSDF's naval ensign aboard the stealthy, multimission Mogami frigate at the Yokosuka Naval Base in Kanagawa Prefecture in April. |
GABRIEL DOMINGUEZ
Australia will now proceed with the next stage of the procurement process, as it aims to enter into binding and commercial contracts with MHI and the Japanese government. Those deals are expected to be sealed in early 2026, according to Nakatani.
'Going forward, we will need to continue discussions with the Australian government toward the conclusion of the final contract,' Nakatani said, adding that these talks will include finalizing the price, how to maintain and repair the ships after completion, as well as how to continue production in Australia.
'There are many issues to be addressed,' he said.
The winning bid is likely to be a boon for Japan's defense industry, but it will also substantially deepen military and industrial cooperation with Australia at a time when the quasi-allies are expanding ties across the board.
For Australia to get the ships as quickly as possible — the first one needs to be in the water by 2029 — the three initial vessels will be built in Japan, while manufacturing of the remaining ships will transition to the Henderson area of Perth, Western Australia, where they will be built by Australian company Austal.
The first warship is scheduled to be delivered in 2029 and become operational in 2030, with the third to enter service by 2034.
Australian Defence Industry Minister Pat Conroy confirmed this Tuesday by saying that Tokyo has allocated three production slots for the Australian warships in its established production line.
Nakatani said that Japan's 'proven track record' of building 12 Mogami-class frigates — and its plans to build even more — were key to the winning bid.
'The decisive factor in this decision was our country's production capacity in this field,' he said. 'The fact that we have the ability and track record of continuous manufacturing has been a key point, so moving forward, we will prioritize speed and work to meet Australia's needs.'
Nakatani — who also served as defense chief during Japan's failed bid to sell submarines to Australia in 2016 — said that his ministry had 'made every effort to apply the lessons learned from that experience to this contract.'
Beyond the Mogami's 'high-quality' capabilities, he pointed to 'the commitment of both the public and private sectors' as crucial to the successful bid.
'We established a joint public-private committee, and relevant government agencies are working together with companies,' he said. 'I believe that it is thanks to these efforts that we were able to achieve these results.'
Experts said the decision was a ringing endorsement of Japan's defense industry and its larger push for the contract.
Tokyo launched a concerted effort from both government and industry that resulted in the joint public-private promotion committee exclusively for this endeavor — an unprecedented move for Japan to support defense export projects.
The Japanese government also explicitly allowed the joint development and production of the frigates to allay concerns about potential transfer restrictions under its strict arms export controls.
At the same time, Tokyo boosted its marketing efforts, releasing English-language videos promoting the Mogami's strengths in terms of stealth tech, interoperability, manpower efficiency and its evolving unmanned capabilities. It also sent Mogami vessels on several occasions to Australia.
'This is clearly a strategic choice by the Australian government reflecting confidence in the Japanese government, MHI and the wider Japanese defense industry,' said Simon Chelton of the Royal United Services Institute think tank.
While the bilateral relationship has strengthened significantly in recent years, Chelton said that Tuesday's decision went beyond geopolitics.
The upgraded Mogami 'is extremely capable, and it is designed to be interoperable with U.S. partners," he said, adding that the vessels' need for fewer staff will also help keep life-cycle costs low. The Mogami can be operated with about half the crew of larger, general-purpose destroyers — about 90 crew members — while fulfilling similar roles.
It also meets Australia's other operational needs, as it can carry large amounts of ordnance, including Tomahawk cruise missiles and air-defense weapons.
The MSDF's stealthy, multimission Mogami frigate is moored at the Yokosuka Naval Base in Kanagawa Prefecture in April. |
GABRIEL DOMINGUEZ
Perhaps most importantly in the bid, Tokyo also succeeded in convincing Canberra of its ability to deliver the first three ships on time.
Conroy said that the Mogami was 'the clear winner' in terms of cost, capability and meeting the schedule of delivery.
While the acquisition costs of other designs examined were comparable, the price of the Mogami turned out to be 'much lower' over the vessels' designed 40-year lifespan, he said, adding that the proposal was 'the only option' that met Canberra's 2029 delivery timeline.
'Probably the most persuasive factor was Tokyo's commitment to the project and promises that the first three Australian frigates will be delivered on time,' said Kym Bergmann, editor of the Asia Pacific Defence Reporter and Defence Review Asia magazines.
Simon Cullen, a former rear admiral in the Australian Navy, said Canberra will be keen to complete negotiations as quickly as possible, targeting completion by the first quarter of 2026.
'Noting the importance of this contract to the Japanese government, I wouldn't anticipate too many difficulties,' he said.
Canberra's adoption of the Mogami-class will also have the potential to drive future business for Tokyo, especially as Japan is also pitching the warship to other countries such as Indonesia.
'Industrially, this will be a major change for Japan, which has not worked in this way with an international partner before,' Chelton said.
Whether the eased restrictions on the Mogami's export could prompt Tokyo to offer more exemptions remains unclear, but some experts say such a scenario was not outside the realm of possibility as Japan's growing defense industry rapidly gains international experience.
'The decision of the Australian government will give the Japanese government and defense industry the confidence to seek more export deals,' said Cullen.