Morrison first on the line as new Japanese PM talks strategy

Australia is at the forefront of the new Indo-Pacific strategic ­alliance, with Yoshihide Suga making his first international call as Japan’s new PM to Scott Morrison.

Japan's new prime minister Yoshihide Suga. Picture: AFP

Australia is at the forefront of the new Indo-Pacific strategic ­alliance, with Yoshihide Suga making his first international call as Japan’s new Prime Minister to Scott Morrison.

Mr Suga stressed the importance of an alliance between Australia, Japan and the US during Sunday night’s call.

In his call, the new leader made the point about continuing his predecessor Shinzo Abe’s long-term priority — since the days of the Howard government — of a trilateral security agreement ­between the Indo-Pacific powers of the US, Australia and Japan, and the importance of India to a quadrilateral alliance.

Mr Abe was a champion of the “quadrilateral” agreement, which China has seen as a “containment” strategy from the West and which Australia specifically rejected during the years of the Rudd Labor government.

Mr Morrison had been planning to break out of isolation and quarantine lockdowns to visit Mr Abe in Tokyo before the US presidential elections in November, but Mr Abe resigned his leadership earlier this month for health reasons and was replaced by his “right-hand man” Mr Suga last week.

Sunday’s discussion between the two prime ministers continued the strong understanding ­between Mr Abe and Mr Morrison and has shown no change of attitude towards the regional attitudes towards China.

The conversations also included the rescue operations around the loss at sea of the Gulf Livestock ship last month, with a crew that included 39 from The Philippines, two from New Zealand and two from Australia.