Japan Dismantles Postwar Arms Export Ban with $7.1B Mogami Deal

Australia has formalized an approximately $7.1 billion plan to acquire 11 upgraded Mogami-class frigates, creating Japan’s largest defense export arrangement of the postwar era. The first three ships are expected to be built in Japan by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, with eight more produced through Australian industrial participation and technology transfer. The deal follows Tokyo’s progressive easing of arms-export restrictions and signals a more active role for Japan in allied defense markets, although exports remain subject to government screening and restrictions on transfers to countries engaged in conflict.