Japan hopes New Zealand chooses defense ship as naval frigate successor

TOKYO — Japan expressed hope Monday that New Zealand would pick a Japanese defense ship as the successor to its aging Anzac-class warships, after Tokyo inked contracts with Canberra last month to jointly develop a new Australian frigate.

Defense cooperation between Japan and New Zealand will deepen should the Oceanian nation choose the upgraded Japanese Mogami-class frigate, Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara told a press conference.

On Thursday, Defense Minister Chris Penk announced that New Zealand is moving ahead with plans to replace the navy's frigates and that its decision to "focus on considering" the Japanese Mogami-class frigate and Britain's Type 31 frigate "reflects our need to be interoperable and leverage efficiencies."

Citing the Japan-Australia deal to deliver the first three of 11 frigates for the Australian navy based on the Japanese ship design, Kihara said New Zealand's decision could "enhance trilateral interoperability and mutual compatibility."

It would also be "beneficial in terms of strengthening deterrence capabilities in the Indo-Pacific region," Kihara, Japan's top government spokesman, added, in a veiled reference to China's expanding military activities.

Japan's de facto sales of defense ships come after the nation, known for its pacifist Constitution, lifted its decades-old ban on lethal weapon exports late last month to bolster its defense industry and strengthen the deterrence and response capabilities of like-minded partners.

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