TOKYO — Japan’s iconic panda era concluded Sunday as thousands of admirers gathered at Tokyo’s Ueno Zoo for the final viewing of twin pandas Xiao Xiao and Lei Lei before their repatriation to China on Tuesday. This departure marks Japan’s first panda-free period in fifty years, with dim prospects for replacement amid deteriorating Sino-Japanese relations.
The pandas’ lineage traces to 1972, when China gifted the first bears to commemorate diplomatic normalization between the historically wary neighbors. These charismatic black-and-white ambassadors instantly captivated Japanese society, with twelve subsequent pandas achieving celebrity status. The current twins, born at Ueno in 2021, have drawn massive crowds despite strict one-minute viewing limits, with visitors documenting their bamboo-feeding sessions and leisurely movements.
China maintains ownership of all pandas loaned internationally, including offspring born abroad. When questioned about future panda exchanges, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun stated: ‘Giant pandas are loved by many in Japan, and we welcome Japanese friends to come visit them in China.’
The emotional impact is profound for devotees like web engineer Takahiro Takauji, who has taken over 10 million panda photographs across fifteen years of daily zoo visits. ‘I never imagined there would come a day when pandas would be gone from Japan,’ expressed Takauji, who considers the twins ‘like my own children.’ His meticulously maintained blog ‘Every Day Pandas’ chronicles this extraordinary dedication.
This diplomatic rift reflects broader tensions between Asia’s largest economies. Recent remarks by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi regarding potential intervention in Taiwan-related scenarios angered Beijing, exacerbating existing territorial disputes in the East China Sea. The diplomatic strain is further evidenced by China’s month-long delay in approving a new Japanese consul for Chongqing.
Panda diplomacy has evolved significantly since its inception. While China initially gifted pandas to Western nations including the United States, France, and Britain during the 1970s normalization period, it transitioned to leasing programs in the 1980s with fees supporting conservation research. Japan has previously experienced politicized panda diplomacy when a post-tsunami panda transfer to Sendai was canceled following 2012 territorial disputes.
The economic impact is substantial. Kansai University economics professor Katsuhiro Miyamoto estimates annual losses of approximately 20 billion yen ($128 million) for the zoo region, warning that prolonged absence could create ‘tens of billions of yen’ in economic damage. Local merchants like souvenir shop manager Asao Ezure remain hopeful despite concerns, noting ‘Pandas are a symbol of Ueno, a star’ while maintaining panda-themed storefronts in anticipation of their eventual return.