The meeting took place in the backdrop of China's growing military assertiveness in the Indo-Pacific region
The talks are at a working level currently, but Japan would like to bring them to a higher level at some point, according to a person in Tokyo
"Exchanged views on responding to the Coronavirus challenge. Discussed meeting in the Quad format in the near future," he said
The resurgence of the Quad -- first conceived more than a decade ago during the Bush administration -- reflects growing unease over Chinese President Xi Jinping's more assertive foreign policy