<div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Australia and Japan signed contracts on Saturday to deliver the first three of a $10 billion fleet of Japanese-designed warships, with the first due for delivery in three years.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Mitsubishi Heavy Industries will build the first three Mogami-class frigates in Japan. Australia plans to build another eight in a shipyard in Western Australia state.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Japanese Defence Minister Shinjiro Koizumi and his Australian counterpart Richard Marles attended a signing ceremony aboard the Mogami-class frigate JS Kumano, which is part of the Japan Maritime Self-Defence Force, docked off the Australian city of Melbourne.</span></div></div><div><div id="adspot-mobile-medium"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE: </span></strong><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/world/us-israel-iran-war-strait-of-hormuz-tanker-fired-upon-by-iranian-gunboats/b2966ea4-4d42-4ed8-bbb0-dd69cfa296c6" rel="" target="" title="Iranian gunboats open fire upon tanker hours after closing the Strait of Hormuz"><strong><span>Iranian gunboats open fire upon tanker hours after closing the Strait of Hormuz</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The Kumano had taken part in the recent Exercise Kakadu, biennial multinational maritime drills hosted by Australia.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Australia announced in August last year that the Japanese bid had won the contract to provide Australia's next generation of general purpose frigates over Germany's MEKO A-200 from Thyssenkrupp Marine Systems. </span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The deal gave a major boost to Japan's still-underdeveloped defence industry after it lost out on Australia's submarine contract to a French company in 2016.</span></div></div><div><div class="OUTBRAIN" data-reactroot="" data-src="//www.9news.com.au/national/australia-japan-sign-historic-10-billion-warship-deal-with-3-mogami-frigates-ordered-first/0beac358-8c84-4faa-8f6f-01612f310767" data-widget-id="AR_5"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The Japanese-designed fleet will replace Australia's ageing ANZAC-class frigates that are considered increasingly vulnerable to modern missile and drone attack.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Marles said the Japanese frigates were a major step toward delivering Australia with a larger and more lethal surface combat fleet. The first of the Mogami-class frigates is due to arrive in Australia in 2029.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"The timeframe that we've announced is the fastest acquisition of a surface combatant into service in the Royal Australian Navy ever, and so this is a very rapid timeframe," Marles told reporters.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Japan has been accelerating its military build-up while expanding its defence ties beyond its only treaty ally, the United States. It now considers Australia to be a semi-ally.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Marles said Australia welcomed Japan's relaxation of export controls on defence equipment and technology with "trusted partners like Australia".</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"Japan is an industrial powerhouse and it offers so much opportunity for Australia and the development of our own defence industry as the Mogami project represents," Marles said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Koizumi said that the introduction of Japanese vessels into the Australian navy meant "a major step is finally being taken to elevate our bilateral defence cooperation to a greater height".</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>He said Japan continued to be Australia's "indispensable partner" in a new Australian defence strategy announced this week, in which $53 billion will be added to the defence budget over a decade.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Koizumi said a "decisive factor" in Australia choosing the Japanese frigate was that it could be operated with just 90 personnel, around half the crew of Australia's current ANZAC-class version.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Australia says its Mogami-class frigates will be equipped with surface-to-air and anti-shipping missiles and could operate combat helicopters. They will be crewed by 92 sailors and officers.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><em><span>NEVER MISS A STORY:</span></em></strong><span> </span><em><span>Get your breaking news and exclusive stories first by following us across all platforms.</span></em></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><ul><li><strong><em><span>Download the 9NEWS App here via</span></em></strong><span> </span><a href="https://apps.apple.com/au/app/9news/id1010533727" target="_blank"><strong><em><span>Apple</span></em></strong></a><span> </span><strong><em><span>and</span></em></strong><span> </span><a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=nineNewsAlerts.nine.com&amp;hl=en_AU&amp;pli=1" target="_blank"><strong><em><span>Google Play</span></em></strong></a></li><li><strong><em><span>Make 9News your preferred source on Google by</span></em></strong><span> </span><a href="https://9.nine.com.au/8x987w" target="_blank"><strong><em><span>ticking this box here</span></em></strong></a></li><li><strong><em><span>Sign up to</span></em></strong><span> </span><a href="https://login.nine.com.au/edm?client_id=nineatnine" target="_blank"><strong><em><span>our breaking newsletter here</span></em></strong></a></li></ul></div></div>