Japan vows to prioritise Australia over its own navy with new Mogami warships

Japan's Defense Minister has indicated that if its advanced "Mogami"-class frigate design wins the bid for the A$10 billion contract, Australia could receive the first of the upgraded warships even before the Japanese Navy. Currently, the Australian Department of Defence is evaluating competing proposals from Japan and Germany.

According to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), a currently operational version of the "Mogami"-class frigate is expected to visit Australia next month. Tokyo has linked this bid to strengthening "trilateral cooperation" with the United States. Australia plans to rapidly replace its aging Anzac-class fleet from 2029 onwards with either an upgraded "Mogami"-class built by Japan's Mitsubishi Heavy Industries or a MEKO 200-type frigate built by Germany's ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems.

In a rare interview with foreign media, the Chief of Staff of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF), General Koji Yoshida, stated that if the "Mogami"-class frigate is selected for the large General Purpose Frigate (GPF) project, the JMSDF will prioritize Australia. "The JMSDF has made it clear that if priority is given to providing the upgraded 'Mogami'-class frigate to Australia, then Australia will receive it first, and the JMSDF will postpone its own deployment plans for the ship," said General Yoshida through a translator during an interview at Japan's Ministry of Defense headquarters in Tokyo.

Under current plans, the JMSDF is expected to receive its first batch of 12 new upgraded "Mogami"-class frigates in 2027, while Japan had previously guaranteed delivery of the third of the series to the Australian Navy in 2029. Unlike previous defense projects, companies participating in the GPF contract (known as Project SEA3000) are strictly prohibited from discussing details of their bids, or they could face criminal prosecution and expulsion from the competition. Despite this, ABC has confirmed that the Department of Defence is currently evaluating three options: the upgraded "Mogami"-class, the MEKO 200-type currently used by Egypt, and an "Australianized" MEKO 200-type equipped with the SAAB 9LV combat management system.

General Yoshida told ABC that if Australia chooses the Japanese "Mogami"-class option, it could also strengthen military cooperation and interoperability in the Indo-Pacific region, including with the US Navy. "I am confident that by introducing the 'Mogami'-class frigate, trilateral interoperability between Japan, Australia, and the United States will certainly be enhanced," said General Yoshida in support of his country's participation in the lucrative SEA 3000 project bid. "It's not just from the perspective of exporting defense equipment; it also has tremendous strategic significance and interoperability, and enhancing interoperability is even more important." "Enhancing interoperability will impact the entire Indo-Pacific region because our trilateral interoperability will be central to maintaining peace and stability in the region."

Last month, ABC was invited to tour the operational version of the "Mogami"-class FFM frigate currently in use by the JMSDF, marking the first time foreign media representatives were allowed aboard the advanced Japanese warship. On the "Mogami" docked at the Yokosuka Naval Base in Japan, Rear Admiral Toru Sasaki stated that the frigate, which was launched in 2022, features a stealth design and advanced automation to reduce crew numbers. "The biggest mission of the 'Mogami'-class frigate is to protect the lives of the crew, which we call survivability – the number of members in the JMSDF is very small, and we cannot lose any sailors, we cannot fail in battle," he said. "Therefore, we must ensure that this warship can protect their lives, and that the members are ready for battle, and then we must ensure that we are ready to infiltrate enemy territory and then attack like ninjas."

The upgraded "Mogami"-class will be equipped with 32 Mk 41 vertical launch system cells for launching weapons, an increase from the previous 16, and will retain the existing circular combat information center, which can track the activities of all crew members through electronic wristbands. Australian Department of Defence officials told ABC that they expect a Japanese "Mogami"-class FFM frigate to visit Australia in February for exercises near Darwin and Western Australia, although plans for the event have not been finalized. The Department of Defence declined to confirm the visit when contacted by ABC, and the Japanese military and government also declined to comment on any plans to showcase the "Mogami"-class frigate in Australia. Andrew Greene traveled to Tokyo as a guest of the Foreign Press Center Japan.