August 18, Friday, 2023

1. A senior US official has stressed that the upcoming three-way summit involving the United States, Japan and South Korea will serve as an important opportunity to enhance their trilateral relationship. White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said President Joe Biden “has focused very, very keenly on the Indo-Pacific since Day One” of his administration.
2. Struggling Chinese property conglomerate Evergrande Group filed for Chapter 15 bankruptcy protection with a New York federal court on Thursday. The major real estate developer was declared to be in default in 2021 after the Chinese government tightened restrictions on the property sector. In July, Evergrande reported an annual net loss of 14.8 billion dollars for 2022. It had posted a deficit of 65.3 billion dollars the previous year.
3. The mayor of Kaminoseki in Yamaguchi Prefecture, western Japan, says his town will allow Chugoku Electric Power Company to conduct a feasibility survey for building a facility to temporarily store spent nuclear fuel. Earlier this month, the utility announced its plan to conduct a joint survey of its site in the town with Kansai Electric Power Company.