Japan and Australia said Saturday they have finalized contracts to jointly deliver the first three of 11 ships for the Australian navy based on the upgraded Japanese Mogami-class frigate, as the two countries deepen their defense cooperation amid China's growing assertiveness.The deal, announced by Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi and his Australian counterpart Richard Marles in Melbourne, comes ahead of Japan's planned easing of its rules on defense equipment exports, which place strict limits on the export of weapons with lethal capabilities.Currently such exports are only allowed if they are part of a joint development and production project.The three vessels will be built in Japan, with Marles saying at a joint press conference aboard the Mogami-class Kumano frigate after th…