Even pandas in the China-Japan crisis: Beijing takes back the last specimens from the Tokyo zoo

For the first time in more than half a century, it will no longer be possible to photograph the very popular pandas in the country's zoos in Japan, a consequence of the souring of diplomatic relations with Beijing. The last two specimens present, twins Lei Lei and Xiao Xiao, born at Tokyo's Ueno Zoo in 2021, will in fact be repatriated to China by the end of January, well before the formal loan deadline set for February.

Their departure will mark the first total absence of pandas in Japan since 1972, when the first pair was donated to celebrate the normalisation of diplomatic relations between Tokyo and Beijing. The two cubs, a popular tourist attraction, are the exclusive property of China, as is the practice under the so-called 'panda diplomacy', a soft power tool used by Beijing since the 1970s.

The announcement, confirmed by the metropolitan government, has caused discontent among the public, raising further questions about the evolution of bilateral relations between the two neighbouring countries. The decision comes in a context of growing tension between the two Asian powers, which more than a month later does not tend to abate. The crisis was triggered by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's statement that a possible crisis over Taiwan would constitute an "existential threat" for Japan, justifying a joint military intervention with the United States.

The position has provoked a fierce reaction from Beijing, which considers Taiwan an integral part of its territory and rejects any outside interference. Despite the Tokyo municipality's efforts to extend the twins' stay, local media report, Beijing has not granted extensions, and attempts to negotiate the arrival of a new pair before repatriation now seem unlikely. The pandas' farewell is not only symbolic, observers say: economically speaking, their presence has generated significant tourist flows, especially in the zoo north of the capital, for decades the epicentre of popular affection for the most photogenic bears on the planet.