On January 27, hundreds of people gathered at Ueno Zoo in Tokyo to see off two panda twins Lei Lei and Xiao Xiao returning to China, causing Japan to lose panda for the first time after 50 years of existence. Two 4-year-old panda individuals, born at this zoo, were transported by truck out of the campus, leaving much regret for fans.
Ms. Nene Hashino, a woman in her 40s wearing a panda-printed jacket, said she has followed them since they were born and feels like seeing her children off.
A similar mood was also shared by Mr. Daisaku Hirota, a 37-year-old salesman, when he said he had lost a part of his heart. The return of the 2 panda bears was announced amid diplomatic tensions between Japan and China.
Lei Lei and Xiao Xiao belong to China's "panda diplomacy" program, a symbol of friendship between Beijing and Tokyo since the two countries normalized relations in 1972. The loan term for these two individuals will expire in February, and the repatriation took place 1 month early.
Before leaving, Ueno Zoo allowed about 4,400 lucky people to buy tickets to visit the panda for the last time. Then, people wearing costumes, hats and panda badges stood waiting for hours on the street, calling along when the windowless car left the zoo gate.
The mother of the twins, panda Shin Shin, came to Japan in 2011 and returned to China in 2024 due to health decline. Japan is said to be looking for the possibility of borrowing a new pair of panda bears, but a survey shows that the majority of people do not support new negotiations.
Professor Masaki Ienaga said that China's frequent bringing back panda bears does not necessarily have political motives. According to him, the time to move panda bears is symbolic and they can return if bilateral relations improve. He also said that many countries use animals as diplomatic tools, such as Thailand with elephants or Australia with koala bears, but panda bears still have a special attraction and great economic value.
