China will take back the remaining two pandas hosted by Japan next month, effectively halting a program that has symbolized friendship between the two countries since diplomatic ties were re-established in 1972.
The move comes with the Asian neighbors locked in a dispute following comments by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi last month on the possibility of a scenario in which Tokyo might dispatch its military if Beijing were to attempt to take control of Taiwan by force.
While twins Xiao Xiao and Lei Lei, born at Tokyo’s Ueno Zoo in 2021, had long been scheduled for transfer to China in February, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government had sought to extend their stay, according to media reports.
They will now depart for China in January, ahead of the deadline, according to the Asahi newspaper and other media. It is unclear whether the timing is related to the diplomatic standoff, which has seen China cancel Japanese cultural events on its soil and urge its citizens not to visit Japan.
Often dubbed ‘panda diplomacy,’ the loaning of bears is part of China’s efforts to bolster its soft power. While at one time offered as gifts, the bears are almost always now sent on loan, with China retaining ownership. Japan has hosted bears continuously since 1972, when the two nations formalized diplomatic ties with a joint communique.
There is no agreement at the moment on procuring more pandas, a Tokyo metropolitan government official said Monday. The official declined to comment on whether negotiations were underway and said an announcement on the status of the bears would be made soon.
In contrast with Japan, France secured the loan of a pair of pandas during President Emmanuel Macron’s visit to China in early December. China also loaned pandas to Australia earlier this year after a thaw in ties between the two nations.
The U.S. at one point also looked set to lose the last of its pandas, but President Xi Jinping in 2023 promised to send more of what he described as “envoys of friendship.”
Tensions between Tokyo and Beijing have flared since Takaichi said in parliament on Nov. 7 that a Taiwan crisis might constitute a “survival-threatening situation” for Japan — a classification that would provide a legal justification for Tokyo to deploy its military alongside other countries if they chose to respond.
Since then, China travel warnings have hit the economy in western Japan, and its military have trained fire-control radar on one or more Japanese fighter jets in the East China Sea, according to the Japanese government.
Takaichi has repeatedly said that Tokyo’s position on Taiwan hasn’t changed and is still in line with the 1972 communique. In that joint statement Japan said it understands and respects Beijing’s view that Taiwan is an “inalienable” part of China’s territory without saying it agreed with that view.
A poll by Japanese broadcaster ANN conducted over the weekend showed that 66% of respondents were at least somewhat concerned about the deterioration of ties with China.
This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
