New Zealand’s Defense Strategy: The Prospect of Integrating the Country Into Operational Interoperability With Democratic Allies in the Pacific

On May 30, 2026, the first trilateral talks among the Defense Ministers of New Zealand, Australia, and Japan took place in Singapore on the margins of the Shangri-La Dialogue.

The central issue at the meeting was the possible purchase by the government of New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon of advanced Japanese “Mogami”-class frigates (New FFM) to replace the aging “Anzac”-class frigates.

According to Japan’s Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi, the deal would mark a breakthrough in strengthening trilateral interoperability, especially given the already signed agreement on “Mogami” deliveries between Tokyo and Canberra. He also expressed hope for an expansion of Japanese technology transfers to modernize New Zealand’s armed forces.