Twin giant pandas Xiao Xiao and Lei Lei, born at Tokyo's Ueno Zoo, are set to return to China on Tuesday. Fans gathered for their final public viewing on Sunday, marking the first time Japan will be without pandas in half a century. With relations between Tokyo and Beijing at a low point, prospects for replacements appear dim.
At Tokyo's Ueno Zoo, the twin giant pandas Xiao Xiao and Lei Lei, born there in 2021, drew massive crowds despite a one-minute viewing limit. Visitors clutched panda toys and snapped photos on smartphones as the bears munched bamboo and ambled about. China retains ownership of the pandas, lending them to foreign zoos while maintaining control over any offspring.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun, when asked about sending new pandas to Japan, remarked: “I know giant pandas are loved by many in Japan, and we welcome Japanese friends to come visit them in China.”
Devoted fan Takahiro Takauji has made pandas his life for 15 years, ever since falling for the twins' parents, Shin Shin and Ri Ri, shortly after their arrival. A web engineer, he visits the zoo daily, amassing over 10 million photos and publishing books. “Their shape and the way they move are honestly so cute and funny,” he told the Associated Press at his Tokyo-area home. “Sometimes they are baby-like; at other times they act like an old man.” He runs a blog called “Every Day Pandas” and views the twins as “just like my own children.” “I never imagined there would come a day when pandas would be gone from Japan,” he said.
Relations between Tokyo and Beijing are tense, exacerbated by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's comments on potential Chinese moves against Taiwan, which could prompt Japanese involvement. Ongoing East China Sea territorial disputes persist amid China's rising influence. Japan's top spokesperson, Minoru Kihara, noted Thursday that the consulate in Chongqing has lacked a consul for a month due to delayed Chinese approval.
Panda diplomacy began in 1972 with the normalization of ties, when China gifted the first pair, Kang Kang and Lan Lan, arriving at Ueno on October 28. The program shifted to leasing in the 1980s, with zoos paying annual fees for conservation. A 2012 territorial spat derailed plans for a panda in Sendai after the 2011 disaster.
The pandas' absence could cost Ueno Zoo about 20 billion yen ($128 million) annually, according to Kansai University economics professor Katsuhiro Miyamoto. “If the situation continues for several years, the negative economic impact... is expected to reach tens of billions of yen,” he said. “For panda-loving Japanese, including myself, I hope they return as soon as possible.” Souvenir shop manager Asao Ezure called pandas “a symbol of Ueno, a star,” expressing worry over the impact but optimism: “So we are not going to change the signboard.”
