Japan, Australia sign contracts to deliver 1st 3 of planned frigates

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 allow…READ FULL ARTICLE