It’s been a whirlwind two weeks for Anthony Albanese, Australia’s new prime minister.

Just hours after he unseated incumbent Scott Morrison, he jetted off to Japan for meetings with Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and other world leaders. That visit sought to demonstrate the importance his government attached to Japan and the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue — and foreign policy continuity in Canberra. While there will be some important shifts in Australian policy, they should facilitate still greater cooperation with Japan.

Albanese’s Australian Labor Party squeaked out a victory in last month’s ballot. As votes have trickled in, Labor is projected to hold at least 76 of the 150 Parliamentary seats, the minimum required to form a majority government. He may yet strike deals with smaller parties and independents on particular policies but an outright majority gives him some — but not much — room for maneuver.

The victory marks Labor’s return to power after nine years in the political wilderness. Albanese, a Cabinet minister in an earlier Labor government and deputy prime minister for three and a half months under Kevin Rudd, is the country’s 31st prime minister.

That first stint might have been worrying for Kishida, U.S. President Joe Biden and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi — his "Quad" counterparts — since that Australian government left the previous incarnation of the Quad, worried that the initiative could roil relations with China. Throughout this recent campaign, however, Albanese and his proxies insisted that their party’s position had changed, a message he reinforced upon taking office.

“We have had a change of government in Australia,” he noted after the election win, “but Australia’s commitment to the Quad has not changed and will not change.” In Tokyo, he went further.

Noting that it remains “an absolute priority,” he went on to “acknowledge all that the Quad has achieved. Standing together for a free, open and resilient Indo-Pacific region. And working together to tackle the biggest challenges of our time ... . My government is committed to working with your countries and we are committed to the Quad.”

His government is also “very committed to the alliance” with the United States and will “maximize the potential of the important” AUKUS (Australia-U.K.-U.S.) security agreement.

The pledge by Kishida and Albanese to further strengthen their two countries’ Special Strategic Partnership and work with allies and like-minded countries to realize a free and open Indo-Pacific is an important affirmation given Australia’s emergence as Japan’s second most important security partner. They also agreed to cooperate on Biden’s new Indo-Pacific Economic Framework, as well on clean energy and supply chain resilience.

The continuing alignment of views in Tokyo and Canberra reflects a convergence in thinking about China among Australia’s political parties. Labor was once thought to be softer on China — that is no more. Albanese endorsed the thinking of President Biden — “competition without catastrophe.” The new prime minister explained the rationale underlying his party’s shift: “China has changed.”

Beijing is intolerant of any challenge to its policies and it has resorted to coercion when unhappy. Australia has become a frequent target — a result of, for example, calls for an independent investigation into the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic — with estimates of the cost of sanctions ranging from 7 billion to 10 billion Australian dollars. Foreign Minister Penny Wong called on China to “desist from its coercive economic positions.”

Under Albanese, Australia will also step up efforts to engage South Pacific governments. After visiting Tokyo, Wong went to Fiji, where she underscored her government’s commitment to the region and warned of “the consequences” of deeper security ties with China.

South Pacific countries especially appreciate the new Australian government’s readiness to do more on climate change, an existential threat to those island nations. Labor’s position on climate was a selling point for many voters in the election, who were dissatisfied with the former government’s ambivalence. Labor has promised to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 43% below the 2005 level by the end of the decade, significantly more than the previous government, which maintained its Paris Agreement commitment of 26% to 28% below 2005 levels by 2030.

This shift will align Canberra more closely with Tokyo and Washington. Combating climate change is also a focus of the Quad, and this new ambition will give the group more credibility in the region and encourage more cooperation with other governments.

Another issue will complicate the new government’s relations with Japan and the U.S. The Labor Party has promised to sign and ratify the U.N. Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. While this treaty has deep emotional force in Japan, successive Japanese governments have refused to support it, even as they back its goal of a world without nuclear weapons. Japanese officials prioritize extended nuclear deterrence, given its critical role in the defense of Japan.

That is a dilemma that Albanese will now face. The argument that distance from the Asian mainland diminishes Australia’s sense of threat is undercut by China’s growing presence in the region and Beijing’s readiness to use other tools against its perceived adversaries. The need to reduce and eventually eliminate nuclear weapons is more apparent daily, but the practical concerns of national defense must now take precedence over the quest for nuclear disarmament. It will take considerable effort and creativity to square that circle.

Of course, the new government faces difficult domestic challenges as well. Rising inflation, spiraling government debt and a slowing economy demand attention. Labor has much to do and no time to waste. Last week’s summitry showed that Albanese knows how to move quickly. He must not let up on that pace. We wish him luck.

The Japan Times Editorial Board