Australia, Japan ink multibillion-dollar warship deal

Japan agreed on Saturday on a deal to provide Australia's navy with the first of almost a dozen stealth frigates. It was also part of a wider military buildup by Australia aimed at boosting its long-range firepower. Australian Defence Minister Richard Marles said that they were working closely with Japanese and Australian industry partners as they acquire one of the mostadvanced general-purpose frigates in the world. 

 Richard Marles, Australian Defence Minister said  "Today we are announcing that contracts have now been signed for the provision of the upgraded Mogami class frigates to the Royal Australian Navy as our new general-purpose frigate with the first of those to be delivered to Australia in December 2029."

Australia's defence ministry said Japanese Defence Minister Koizumi Shinjiro attended the signing of the contract to deliver the first three of the ships.