Japan will be without pandas for the first time in half a century. China will take back the twins Xiao Xiao and Lei Lei by the end of February due to the deterioration of relations between the two countries. It was reported by the Associated Press on Monday, December 15.
The popular panda twins from the Tokyo Zoo are due to return home to China at the end of January. Japan's prospects of getting a replacement are currently unfavorable as relations between the two countries continue to deteriorate. The pandas Xiao Xiao and his sister Lei Lei were born at the Ueno Zoological Garden in Tokyo in 2021, but were in Japan on loan,
"Exchanges through pandas have contributed to improve the public sentiment between Japan and China, and we hope the relationship will continue. A number of local municipalities and zoos have expressed hope that new pandas will to be loaned soon," said Minoru Kihara, chief secretary of the Japanese Cabinet.
According to him, pandas have long been a favorite of the Japanese, and he hopes that the friendship through "panda diplomacy" between the two countries will continue.
As the Ukrainian News agency earlier reported, on December 10, the United States first criticized China for pointing radars at Japanese military aircraft during the exercise after Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said, that Tokyo could respond to a hypothetical Chinese attack on Taiwan.
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