Japanese PM hopes to host in-person Quad Summit in first half of 2022

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Friday expressed his willingness to host an in-person summit of the Quad countries in the first half of the year in Japan during his virtual talks with US President Joe Biden.

In a conversation that lasted for approximately 80 minutes, the two leaders shared the intention to coordinate closely under the strong Japan-US Alliance and to deepen cooperation with like-minded countries including India toward realizing a "Free and Open Indo-Pacific."

"In this regard, Prime Minister Kishida expressed his intention to host the Japan-Australia-India-U.S. (QUAD) Summit Meeting in Japan in the first half of this year by inviting President Biden to Japan, to which President Biden expressed his support," the Japanese foreign ministry said in a statement.

The first in-person meeting of the leaders of the Quad countries was held in the fall of 2021 in the US.

The sides discussed the fight against the coronavirus pandemic, economic recovery, infrastructure projects, climate change, cooperation in space and cyberspace, and student exchanges.

During this summit, PM Modi had asserted that the cooperation among four countries including India, the United States, Australia and Japan in the group will ensure peace and prosperity in Indo-pacific.