Leaders of Japan, U.S., Australia, India Considering Summit

Tokyo, Feb. 8 (Jiji Press)--The leaders of Japan, the United States, Australia and India are considering holding a teleconference, Japanese government sources revealed Monday.

Suggested by U.S. President Joe Biden, the "Quad" summit would be held in hopes of strengthening four-way cooperation in order to realize a free and open Indo-Pacific region, with China's maritime expansion in mind.

If realized, it would be the first summit of the four nations.

A meeting of foreign ministers from the four nations was held for the first time in September 2019 under the administration of then U.S. President Donald Trump. The second such meeting was held in Japan in October last year.

Biden has said that his country will continue to lay weight on the Quad framework. In talks held over the phone on Jan. 28 this year, Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga and Biden agreed to boost cooperation among the four countries.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]