TOKYO: Panda fans flocked to the Ueno Zoo in Tokyo on Sunday (Jan 25) to say goodbye to its star attractions – two giant pandas, who will be sent back to China at the end of the month.
The departure of four-year-old twins Xiao Xiao and Lei Lei leaves Japan panda-less for the first time since 1972, prompting thousands to apply for lottery-assigned tickets to say goodbye.
“I’ve been coming since the parents of Xiao Xiao and Lei Lei were here,” said 54-year-old finance-sector worker Machiko Seki. “It feels like one family’s story is coming to an end.”
While their move to China has been planned for some time, the pandas’ upcoming absence has been viewed as a reflection of deteriorating China-Japan relations in recent months.
In November, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said a hypothetical Chinese attack on Taiwan could bring about a Japanese military response. That triggered a furious response from Beijing, which claims sovereignty over the self-governed island.
Read the full article here
