Panda diplomacy: What do Japan's last two pandas tell us about global tensions?

Words by ITV News Producer, Kieran Carter

Japan's last two pandas are preparing to return to China, as the loan agreement between the two east Asian countries comes to a close.

Xiao Xiao and Lei Lei, five-year-old panda twins, were born in Japan, but under the rules of China's strict panda loan system, still belong to Beijing.

Their departure has been met by crowds flocking to their current home at Ueno Zoo in Tokyo to bid the bears goodbye, with tears, lengthy queues, and a limited viewing time of just one minute per person, a price many have been willing to pay.

To many, the return of Xiao Xiao and Lei Lei signals more than the loss of a popular local and tourist attraction however, and is a more worrying litmus test of the current China-Japan relationship.

After similar returns from Japan in recent years, the twins' repatriation leaves the country panda-less for the first time in half a century.

Japan welcomed its first pandas, Kang Kang and Lan Lan, in 1972, a gift from China intended to symbolise the normalisation of diplomatic ties between the two nations.

The gift came one month after Japan's prime minister at the time, Kakuei Tanaka, and Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai signed a joint communique stating as much.

At the time, Japan noted it “fully understands and respects” China's claim on Taiwan as “an inalienable part” of its territory.

The current pair, Xiao Xiao and Lei Lei, were born to parents Shin Shin and Ri Ri, who returned home last year after being loaned to Japan for breeding research in 2011.

A third panda cub, Xiang Xiang, had been returned one year earlier.

For fans of the bears in Japan, Sunday was their last opportunity to catch a glimpse, with a lottery system in place for tickets and viewing times limited to just one minute.

Tokyo resident Yumi Otaka told ITV News the zoo's impending loss was "heartbreaking, and at the same time surreal".

She said: "For someone like me who was born and raised in Tokyo, pandas have been at Ueno Zoo for decades, and they've become one of its most beloved icons. It's not just that we Japanese love cute things - as you can see from our kawaii culture - pandas have long been part of the city's everyday landscape. It's hard to imagine Ueno, or Tokyo, without them."

Visitors queue to see Xiao Xiao and Lei Lei on their last day at Ueno Zoo.

Another panda fan, Yukie Kuyama, told ITV News' US partner CNN that she lined up for five hours to see the animals in early December. After winning the lottery, she came to see them again last week.

“That’s very disappointing. It feels sad that such cute, innocent animals are being used as a trump card – or even a tool – in diplomacy,” she said.

The cost to the local economy in lost tourist revenue can also be considerable.

Economics professor at Kansai University, Katsuhiro Miyamoto, predicts the absence of pandas at Ueno Zoo would cause an annual loss of about 20 billion yen (£95 million).

“If the situation continues for several years, the negative economic impact of having no pandas is expected to reach tens of billions of yen,” Miyamoto said in a statement. “For panda-loving Japanese, including myself, I hope they return as soon as possible.”

Historically, China gifted pandas to countries as a way of strengthening bonds, but shifted to the current system of loans in 1984.

Loan agreements typically run for a period of ten years and require annual fees of around one million dollars (£730,000) from the receiving county.

The price of upkeep for some countries proves too much, with the bears requiring tailored enclosures and consuming up to 40kg of bamboo every day.

The cost of this diet led Edinburgh Zoo to, at one point, request donations of bamboo from local gardeners.

A sign of their importance, it is reported that Beijing requires world leaders to request the panda bears in person, with Xi Jinping signing off the final agreements himself and frequently visiting the grand opening of new panda enclosures.

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The loans increased in prevalence following the 2008 Sichuan earthquake, which damaged the Wolong Nature Reserve and Breeding Centre, leading to around 60 pandas needing rehoming.

The length of loans, significant financial investment in securing them, and the ongoing costly upkeep are often viewed as a positive sign for trust and the long-term partnership between China and the recipient country.

In 2010, when President Obama met with the Dalai Lama, two panda cubs from separate zoos in the US were returned to China within days. Whilst both were at the end of their loan agreements, a date had yet to be set prior to Obama's meeting.

Other loan agreements between China and the US have also not been renewed, with those that have seen shorter agreement periods, mirroring the deteriorating trust between the nations.

Xiao Xiao and Lei Lei's return to China comes at a time when relationships between the two countries continue to deteriorate.

At the close of last year, China's foreign ministry demanded Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi retract what it termed "egregious" remarks related to Taiwan, warning failure to do so would mean Japan "must bear all consequences".

Takaichi had triggered the outcry from China when she told the Japanese parliament that a Chinese attack on Taiwan would signal "survival-threatening situation" and risked a military response from Tokyo.

China has long claimed sovereignty over Taiwan and has frequently been angered by global leaders' support for the country.

Japan's top government spokesperson, Minoru Kihara, acknowledged on Thursday that the Japanese Consulate in Chongqing has been without a consul for a month because China has delayed approval of a replacement.

With Japan's bears heading home, outside of China, there are now only 12 countries, plus Hong Kong and Taiwan, which are treated differently under China's panda loan arrangements, where they can be seen in zoos.

The United States, Belgium, Australia, Denmark, Austria, Indonesia, Russia, Malaysia, Singapore, the Netherlands, Spain, and South Korea all have current loans.

Hong Kong, as well as Taiwan, have been gifted pandas as opposed to being loaned them on several occasions, as Beijing considers these to still inhabit internal Chinese territory.

The UK's last pandas returned to their native land from Edinburgh Zoo in 2023.

Pouring water on Japan's hopes of pandas returning in the near future, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said, when asked about the prospect of more returning to Japan: "I know giant pandas are loved by many in Japan, and we welcome Japanese friends to come visit them in China.”

Xiao Xiao and Lei Lei leave Tokyo on Tuesday.

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