Bearly any time left for Japan’s panda lovers? Row with China threatens loan programme
A 50-year tradition of panda diplomacy appears to be reaching its end with the last pair set to leave amid heightened diplomatic tensions
Hopes of receiving new ones soon appear dim given the tensions between the two countries.
Tokyo’s metropolitan government has reportedly been in talks with China about receiving new pandas, but there is no sign of agreement in the wake of Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s comments about Taiwan last month.
On Monday, the city’s authorities said they would return four-year-old twins Xiao Xiao and Lei Lei, who were born at Ueno Zoo but were always destined to be returned to China.
Pandas have been used by China as a long-standing symbol of friendship with other countries. The tradition of panda diplomacy may date back to the Tang dynasty (618-907), when two “white bears” – generally believed to be giant pandas – were sent to Japan.