The Saturday editions of Nikkei, Asahi, and Mainichi wrote that arrangements are underway for the leaders of the United States, Japan, Australia, and India to hold an online meeting this week for the first time under the Quad framework. Asahi wrote that the Quad summit will probably take place on March 12. The papers speculated that the leaders will underscore their policy of attaching importance to the Indo-Pacific with China’s growing influence in the region in mind. They are also expected to discuss security cooperation and a plan to jointly distribute COVID-19 vaccines in Asia to counter Beijing’s vaccine diplomacy. Asahi quoted Foreign Minister Motegi as telling reporters on Friday that the foreign ministers of the four nations discussed at their teleconference in February the need for international cooperation in securing fair access to vaccines. Mainichi speculated that the leaders will also discuss maritime security and climate change.