Japan’s last 2 giant pandas set for early trip home to China as tensions spiral
Return of twins Xiao Xiao and Lei Lei to mark first time Japan will be without any pandas since normalisation of diplomatic ties in 1972
The last two giant pandas in Japan are set to leave for China on January 27, one month ahead of schedule as bilateral tensions continue to worsen.
The return of the twins, Xiao Xiao and Lei Lei, marks the first time in about half a century that Japan will be without any pandas. Beijing first sent two of the animals to Tokyo to mark the normalisation of diplomatic relations in 1972.
The four-year-olds were born at Tokyo’s Ueno Zoo but technically all giant pandas and their offspring in overseas zoos are “loans” from China and destined to return to the country.
The Tokyo Metropolitan Government has reportedly talked to the Chinese side for new pandas, but there are no signs of progress in the foreseeable future amid the heightening tensions between the two countries.
The pandas were originally scheduled to return in February, but the metropolitan government announced on December 15 that the pair would have to leave earlier, in late January.
The announcement drew a large crowd to the zoo even before it opened the next day, according to Japan’s national broadcaster NHK. In the following days, some visitors had to wait for up to six hours to view the pair, Asahi Shimbun reported.