Australia, Japan Ink $6.5B Frigate Deal

0:00It's April 18th. You're listening to Canada News today, AI-powered local news. Australia and Japan just inked the deals for the first three ships in a $10 billion Australian fleet that's about $6.5 billion US. Dollars of next-gen Mogami Class frigates. Mitsubishi Heavy Industries handles building these initial vessels in Japan, while Australia gears up to construct the remaining eight right therein, Western Australia. This comes after Australia picked Japan's bid last August over a German competitor, marking a big win for Tokyo's defense sector. The signing went down aboard the Japanese frigate J.S. Kumano, Dr. Noborn after joint drills called Exercise Kakadoo. Defense ministers from both sides hyped it up as a game-changer. Australia's Richard Marles called it the quickest warship buy in their Navy's history, with the first frigate hitting Australian waters by 20-29. Japan's Shinjiro Koizumi pointed to the low crew needs, just 92 sailors per ship, half

1:02of the old Anzac class. These frigates pack surface-to-air missiles, anti-ship weapons, and spots for combat helicopters set to replace Australia's outdated Anzac fleet. That's too exposed to drones and modern threats. It's boosting ties as Japan ramps up its military and eyes Australia as a key partner beyond the U.S. All this fits Australia's fresh defense push, pumping an extra $53 billion Australian dollars into the budget over 10 years, with Japan. Locked in as an indispensable ally for deeper cooperation ahead,