China’s last two pandas in Japan have been repatriated, ending a fifty-year period during which the country hosted the animals.
The pair returned amidst strained relations between the two nations, a situation unlikely to lead to new pandas being sent. This diplomatic tension has been heightened by the current Japanese Prime Minister’s position regarding Taiwan, which Beijing considers part of its territory.
In Japan, the twins Xiao Xiao and Lei Lei attracted devoted followers. Large crowds visited Tokyo’s Ueno Zoo to see them before their journey.
The initial arrival of pandas in Japan occurred in 1972, symbolising the re-establishment of diplomatic relations. China has historically employed panda loan as an instrument of diplomacy and soft power, which can be withdrawn when bilateral dynamics deteriorate.
Footage from state broadcaster CCTV depicted Xiao Xiao and Lei Lei arriving in crates in Sichuan province. They will undergo quarantine at the China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda.
“The pandas arrived safely early Wednesday morning,” stated the conservation center.
Xiao Xiao and sister Lei Lei were born at Ueno Zoo in 2021. China retains ownership of all pandas loaned abroad and any offspring they produce.
