Panda diplomacy softens sharp edge of China's foreign policy
YUKIO TAJIMA
BEIJING -- When all four of the pandas at Adventure World amusement park in Shirahama, Japan, were sent back to China, the local community was overwhelmed with a sense of "panda loss."
It was late June when the pandas left the park in Wakayama prefecture, heading home to the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding in China's southwestern province of Sichuan. About a week before the pandas returned, the facility was bustling with tourists.
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Nikkei Asia
10-07-2025
- Nikkei Asia
Panda diplomacy softens sharp edge of China's foreign policy
A panda at the Adventure World amusement park in Japan. The facility's four pandas returned to China at the end of June. © Kyodo YUKIO TAJIMA BEIJING -- When all four of the pandas at Adventure World amusement park in Shirahama, Japan, were sent back to China, the local community was overwhelmed with a sense of "panda loss." It was late June when the pandas left the park in Wakayama prefecture, heading home to the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding in China's southwestern province of Sichuan. About a week before the pandas returned, the facility was bustling with tourists.
Kyodo News
29-06-2025
- Kyodo News
All 4 pandas at west Japan zoo depart for China, 2 remain in country
KYODO NEWS - 20 hours ago - 18:15 | Japan, All, World All four giant pandas on loan at a western Japan zoo departed the country for China on Saturday, leaving just two of the animals in Japan. Rauhin, a 24-year-old female, and her offspring -- Yuihin, 8, Saihin, 6, and Fuhin, 4 -- were loaded onto a charter flight that took off from Kansai International Airport at around 3 p.m. They are headed to the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding in China's Sichuan Province. The lease agreement for the four was set to expire in August. Japan's two remaining giant pandas, Lei Lei and Xiao Xiao, are at Tokyo's Ueno Zoological Gardens and are due to return to China by next February. Some 300 people including zoo staff and director Koji Imazu saw the pandas off in the morning at Adventure World amusement park in Shirahama, Wakayama Prefecture, as they left on two trucks. Zookeeper Yuka Nakaya said the four were "healthy this morning, and preparations proceeded smoothly." On Friday ahead of their departure, some 1,400 visitors had queued at the park before it opened for their final public display, with about 3,000 people attending a farewell ceremony. "It is sad that they leave Japan all at once. I wish for them to stay healthy in China," said Chisato Noda from Nagoya. "I want to visit China to see them. Maybe I'll plan a trip," said Yumi Yokoyama from Ageo, Saitama Prefecture, near Tokyo. The pandas were last on display in outdoor enclosures in May. Over the past month, the public had been able to see them in isolated rooms where they were quarantined ahead of their travel. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said Friday that China and Japan have established "sound cooperation ties" through panda conservation and research. "We stand ready to continue enhancing exchanges and cooperation with Japan and other partners in the world to jointly contribute to the protection of the endangered species," he told a press conference in Beijing. The Wakayama Prefecture zoo began a joint breeding program with the Chinese panda research base in 1994. It has successfully raised 17 cubs, the most outside China. "The breeding project is finished for now, but we are willing to prepare to accept new pandas in future," zoo director Imazu said Friday. Related coverage: FOCUS: China's "panda diplomacy" in focus as zero moment may come in Japan All 4 giant pandas at western Japan zoo to return to China in June Giant panda Eimei dies in China after repatriation from Japan
Nikkei Asia
28-06-2025
- Nikkei Asia
All four pandas at west Japan zoo depart for China
Giant panda Rauhin chews bamboo at Adventure World in Shirahama, Wakayama prefecture, on June 27. (Photo by Kosaku Mimura) WAKAYAMA, Japan (Kyodo) -- All four giant pandas on loan at a western Japan zoo departed the country for China on Saturday, leaving just two of the animals in Japan. Rauhin, a 24-year-old female, and her offspring -- Yuihin, 8, Saihin, 6, and Fuhin, 4 -- were loaded onto a charter flight that took off from Kansai International Airport at around 3 p.m. They are headed to the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding in China's Sichuan Province. The lease agreement for the four was set to expire in August. Japan's two remaining giant pandas, Lei Lei and Xiao Xiao, are at Tokyo's Ueno Zoological Gardens and are due to return to China by next February.
