By Mukesh 
Australia and Japan signed contracts on Saturday (April 18, 2026), launching their landmark $10 billion ($7 billion) deal to supply Australia with warships, Tokyo’s most consequential military sale since ending a military export ban in 2014.
Defence Ministers Richard Marles and Shinjiro Koizumi signed a memorandum “reaffirming the Australian and Japanese governments’ shared commitment to the successful delivery” of the warships, Mr. Marles said in a statement.