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The Mainichi
30-04-2025
- Entertainment
- The Mainichi
Will Japan lose all pandas after scheduled return of twins at Ueno zoo to China in 2026?
TOKYO -- Panda fans in Japan are keeping their eyes on Xiao Xiao and Lei Lei, twin giant pandas at Tokyo's Ueno Zoological Gardens, after it was decided that all four of the bears at the Adventure World amusement park in Shirahama, Wakayama Prefecture, will return to China. Pandas at Ueno zoo, the country's very first to have the animals, have historically symbolized the Japan-China friendship, but will we see the day when the beloved bears disappear from Japan? Pandas first arrived in Japan in 1972, when China sent two named Kang Kang and Lan Lan upon the normalization of diplomatic relations between the two countries, and the pair were kept at the zoo in Tokyo. Then-Chief Cabinet Secretary Susumu Nikaido reportedly summoned the zoo director and others at the time and told them, "Whatever you do, don't let them die." China has engaged in "panda diplomacy" not only with Japan but other countries by gifting the animals. In 1984, however, pandas were classified under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, commonly known as the "Washington Convention," as one of the most endangered species, and international trade for commercial purposes was banned. As a result, the pandas at Ueno zoo shifted from being "gifts" to being "loans" for breeding and research purposes. Under the pretense of conservation, a "rental fee" also began to be charged. Although there has been no official announcement, the fee is said to be around 100 million yen (roughly $700,300) per year for a male-female pair. The zoo has kept a total of 15 pandas over the past 53 years, including periods when it had none of the animals. Seven cubs have been born, and five of them -- Tong Tong, You You, Xiang Xiang, Xiao Xiao and Lei Lei -- were raised there. The latest pair, Xiao Xiao, male, and Lei Lei, female, were born in June 2021 and are growing steadily. According to the April 24 announcement, as of April 17, Xiao Xiao weighed 95.7 kilograms and Lei Lei was 93.1 kg. They mainly eat bamboo, along with carrots and apples, and during this season, they also enjoy bamboo shoots. Since July 2023, the twins have been working hard at "husbandry training," which involves learning behaviors necessary for health management. The return deadline for the twin pandas is Feb. 20, 2026. This date was set in accordance with the original deadline for their father Ri Ri and mother Shin Shin, who were sent back to China in September 2024 for hypertension treatment and other reasons. However, there have been cases of extensions in the past, and a Tokyo Metropolitan Government official expressed hope, saying, "The specific return date for the twins has not yet been decided."
The Mainichi
25-04-2025
- Business
- The Mainichi
EU mulls imposing trade restrictions on all eels under int'l treaty
TOKYO (Kyodo) -- The European Union is preparing a proposal to impose export restrictions on all eel species under an international agreement regulating trade in endangered species, EU sources said Wednesday -- a move that could affect supplies to Japan, which has relied heavily on imports. The proposal, if approved at the conference of the parties to the Washington Convention to be held in Uzbekistan later this year, would place Japanese eel for consumption, among other species, on the list requiring an export permit issued by the exporting country, the sources said. The European eel has already been subject to such restrictions following an EU proposal to list the endangered species under Appendix II of the convention approved in 2007. At the time, the EU argued that the mass harvesting of juvenile eels and their subsequent export to Japan via aquaculture facilities in countries such as China was contributing to population decline. The ongoing smuggling of European eels appears to have led the bloc to conclude that including visually similar species is necessary for effective enforcement. It also argues that the proposal would help normalize trade in Japanese and American eels, which has faced criticism over opaque practices. Under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, species listed in Appendix I are prohibited from international trade for commercial purposes in principle, while those in Appendix II are deemed as species that could become endangered if trade is not strictly regulated. The EU is seeking to list all 19 eel species and subspecies in Appendix II, including the Japanese eel, American eel and Southeast Asia's Anguilla bicolor. The regulations would apply not only to live juvenile glass eels but also to processed products such as "kabayaki" grilled eel. The EU is likely to decide by early June whether to submit the proposal, according to the sources. Approval requires a two-thirds majority of countries casting a vote, but the current level of support remains unclear. Japan's Fisheries Agency is lobbying the EU to forgo the proposal and plans to oppose it if submitted.
Kyodo News
24-04-2025
- Politics
- Kyodo News
Kyodo News Digest: April 24, 2025
KYODO NEWS - 14 minutes ago - 09:00 | All, Japan, World The following is the latest list of selected news summaries by Kyodo News. ---------- Pacific island eyes "big" ceremony on 80th atomic bombing anniversary TINIAN/GUAM - The Pacific island of Tinian is planning a "big" commemoration in August to mark the 80th anniversary of the U.S. atomic bombing of Hiroshima, according to the mayor of the island, which served as the launching point for the nuclear attacks on Japan during World War II. Mayor Edwin Aldan said Tuesday that the island, part of the Northern Mariana Islands, a U.S. territory, has invited senior officials from the U.S. Department of Defense and relatives of war veterans to a ceremony on the morning of Aug. 6 at the airfield where a B-29 bomber took off to drop an atomic bomb on Hiroshima in 1945, to "recognize the significance" of the bombing. ---------- U.S. Marine suspected of raping woman at Okinawa base NAHA, Japan - A U.S. Marine in his 20s is facing criminal charges including allegedly raping a woman last month in a restroom of an American military base in Japan's Okinawa, investigative sources said Wednesday. The Okinawa prefectural police referred the case to prosecutors on April 7, the sources said, adding the suspect is also accused of injuring another woman who tried to rescue the victim, who was a resident of Okinawa and a civilian worker at the base. ---------- EU mulls imposing trade restrictions on all eels under int'l treaty TOKYO - The European Union is preparing a proposal to impose export restrictions on all eel species under an international agreement regulating trade in endangered species, EU sources said Wednesday -- a move that could affect supplies to Japan, which has relied heavily on imports. The proposal, if approved at the conference of the parties to the Washington Convention to be held in Uzbekistan later this year, would place Japanese eel for consumption, among other species, on the list requiring an export permit issued by the exporting country, the sources said. ---------- Japan mulls sending foreign minister to Pope Francis funeral TOKYO - The Japanese government is considering sending Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya to the Vatican later this week for the funeral of Pope Francis, a government source said Wednesday. After attending the funeral on Saturday, Iwaya will tour the United States, Senegal, Saudi Arabia and France as originally planned, the source said. ---------- Japan junior ruling party head urges China to lift seafood ban BEIJING - Tetsuo Saito, chief of Japan's junior ruling coalition partner, the Komeito party, on Wednesday urged China to lift its blanket ban on Japanese seafood imports during his meeting in Beijing with Wang Huning, who is ranked No. 4 in the Chinese Communist Party's leadership. Saito, who is on a three-day visit to China through Thursday, handed Wang a personal letter to Chinese President Xi Jinping from Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba. ---------- Man sent to prosecutors over naked trespassing, suspected in 20 cases TOKYO - A 48-year-old Japanese man was sent to prosecutors Wednesday after breaking into a cram school near Tokyo completely naked, in a case that police believe may be connected to about 20 other incidents in less than two hours, including a hit-and-run that left one man dead. Daisuke Nishimura, who was arrested in Soka, Saitama Prefecture, on Monday, is suspected of committing a range of crimes in the area within approximately 90 minutes -- from hit-and-runs to theft at a convenience store -- injuring about a dozen people during the chaos. ---------- Japan, Britain, Italy defense chiefs to forgo 3-way talks TOKYO - Defense ministers of Japan, Britain and Italy will likely forgo their plan to meet in Italy next month due to a schedule conflict, a Japanese Defense Ministry source said Wednesday. Japanese Defense Minister Gen Nakatani and his British and Italian counterparts, John Healey and Guido Crosetto, were expected to discuss their joint project of developing a next-generation fighter jet by 2035. ---------- Baseball: Gu Lin struggles in NPB debut as Eagles beat Fighters KITAHIROSHIMA, Japan - The Rakuten Eagles roughed up Taiwan's 2024 MVP pitcher Gu Lin Ruei-yang on their way to an 8-3 victory over the Nippon Ham Fighters on Wednesday. Rakuten took advantage of a defensive miscue to take a quick 3-0 lead in the first inning. Hideto Asamura's three-run homer off Gu Lin (0-1), who was making his Nippon Professional Baseball debut, capped a four-run sixth that made it 7-0 at Es Con Field Hokkaido. Video: Turkey holds national day event at Osaka Expo
Kyodo News
23-04-2025
- Business
- Kyodo News
EU mulls imposing trade restrictions on all eels under int'l treaty
KYODO NEWS - 4 hours ago - 21:59 | All, Japan, World The European Union is preparing a proposal to impose export restrictions on all eel species under an international agreement regulating trade in endangered species, EU sources said Wednesday -- a move that could affect supplies to Japan, which has relied heavily on imports. The proposal, if approved at the conference of the parties to the Washington Convention to be held in Uzbekistan later this year, would place Japanese eel for consumption, among other species, on the list requiring an export permit issued by the exporting country, the sources said. The European eel has already been subject to such restrictions following an EU proposal to list the endangered species under Appendix II of the convention approved in 2007. At the time, the EU argued that the mass harvesting of juvenile eels and their subsequent export to Japan via aquaculture facilities in countries such as China was contributing to population decline. The ongoing smuggling of European eels appears to have led the bloc to conclude that including visually similar species is necessary for effective enforcement. It also argues that the proposal would help normalize trade in Japanese and American eels, which has faced criticism over opaque practices. Under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, species listed in Appendix I are prohibited from international trade for commercial purposes in principle, while those in Appendix II are deemed as species that could become endangered if trade is not strictly regulated. The EU is seeking to list all 19 eel species and subspecies in Appendix II, including the Japanese eel, American eel and Southeast Asia's Anguilla bicolor. The regulations would apply not only to live juvenile glass eels but also to processed products such as "kabayaki" grilled eel. The EU is likely to decide by early June whether to submit the proposal, according to the sources. Approval requires a two-thirds majority of countries casting a vote, but the current level of support remains unclear. Japan's Fisheries Agency is lobbying the EU to forgo the proposal and plans to oppose it if submitted. Related coverage: FEATURE: Nishikigoi breeders hope for early resumption of exports to China Tokyo couple arrested over unpermitted cultivation of glowing fish
Kyodo News
23-04-2025
- Business
- Kyodo News
EU mulls imposing trade restrictions on all eels under int'l treaty
KYODO NEWS - 4 minutes ago - 21:59 | All, Japan, World The European Union is preparing a proposal to impose export restrictions on all eel species under an international agreement regulating trade in endangered species, EU sources said Wednesday -- a move that could affect supplies to Japan, which has relied heavily on imports. The proposal, if approved at the conference of the parties to the Washington Convention to be held in Uzbekistan later this year, would place Japanese eel for consumption, among other species, on the list requiring an export permit issued by the exporting country, the sources said. The European eel has already been subject to such restrictions following an EU proposal to list the endangered species under Appendix II of the convention approved in 2007. At the time, the EU argued that the mass harvesting of juvenile eels and their subsequent export to Japan via aquaculture facilities in countries such as China was contributing to population decline. The ongoing smuggling of European eels appears to have led the bloc to conclude that including visually similar species is necessary for effective enforcement. It also argues that the proposal would help normalize trade in Japanese and American eels, which has faced criticism over opaque practices. Under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, species listed in Appendix I are prohibited from international trade for commercial purposes in principle, while those in Appendix II are deemed as species that could become endangered if trade is not strictly regulated. The EU is seeking to list all 19 eel species and subspecies in Appendix II, including the Japanese eel, American eel and Southeast Asia's Anguilla bicolor. The regulations would apply not only to live juvenile glass eels but also to processed products such as "kabayaki" grilled eel. The EU is likely to decide by early June whether to submit the proposal, according to the sources. Approval requires a two-thirds majority of countries casting a vote, but the current level of support remains unclear. Japan's Fisheries Agency is lobbying the EU to forgo the proposal and plans to oppose it if submitted. Related coverage: FEATURE: Nishikigoi breeders hope for early resumption of exports to China Tokyo couple arrested over unpermitted cultivation of glowing fish
