The departure of twin giant pandas Xiao Xiao and Lei Lei from Tokyo’s Ueno Zoo marks the end of a decades-long tradition of “panda diplomacy” between Japan and China. The pair, born at the zoo in 2021, will be flown back to China next week, leaving legions of Japanese admirers bereft and signalling a dramatic deterioration in relations between the two countries.
For over 50 years, China has loaned more than 30 pandas to zoos across Japan, where the endangered animals have endeared themselves to countless animal lovers. However, the latest panda repatriation appears to be a casualty of the worsening diplomatic tensions between Beijing and Tokyo, particularly over the future of Taiwan.
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s refusal to back down from her suggestion that Japan could deploy self-defence forces in the event of a Chinese invasion of Taiwan has drawn a furious response from China. In retaliation, Beijing has urged its citizens not to travel to Japan, while cultural exchanges and other events aimed at fostering closer ties have been cancelled or postponed.
“If tensions between Japan and China persist, China may refrain from new loans, and pandas may no longer be seen in Japan,” a Chinese expert was quoted as saying by the state-controlled Beijing Daily newspaper.
The panda’s departure will leave Ueno Zoo, which has hosted the beloved bears since 1972, without a giant panda for the first time in nearly 50 years. Visitors have flocked to catch a final glimpse of Xiao Xiao and Lei Lei, with a lottery system introduced to control the overwhelming demand during the pandas’ final 12 days in Japan.
“It’s such a shame this is the last time I’ll be able to see them,” said one woman who had travelled from nearby Saitama prefecture. “It feels like we’re being picked on by the Chinese government.”
While the pandas have served as symbols of Sino-Japanese friendship, experts say their presence or absence does not significantly impact the broader state of relations between the two countries. However, the end of panda diplomacy will do little to console Japan’s legion of panda lovers, who have formed deep emotional connections with the bears over the decades.
As the curtain falls on this chapter of Japan-China relations, the future of panda exchanges remains uncertain, with little room for compromise as the two nations grapple with the complex and sensitive issue of Taiwan.
