April 18, 2026

Tokyo signed a contract on Saturday with Canberra to supply the first three of a planned fleet of 11 upgraded Mogami-class frigates to the Australian Navy, the largest defense export contract in Japan's postwar history, Japan Times reported, and the was described by Reuters as "Tokyo's most consequential military sale since ending a military export ban in 2014," which signals Japan's push away from postwar pacifism and a move "to counter China."

The sale deal risks intensifying an arms race in the Asia-Pacific, Chinese experts said, adding that Japan, by doing so, is misjudging the situation and being overconfident on its part in its capabilities and security environment—assuming it can expand its military role at will without jeopardizing its own security, Chinese experts said.

Australian defense minister Richard Marles and his Japanese counterpart Shinjiro Koizumi signed a memorandum "reaffirming the Australian and Japanese governments' shared commitment to the successful delivery" of the warships, Marles said in a statement, per Reuters.

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