Japan's last 2 pandas to leave for China today
Japan's remaining twin giant pandas will depart for China on Tuesday, marking the first time in about half a century the country will be without any pandas, which have long been cherished as a symbol of bilateral friendship, Kyodo reported.
Xiao Xiao and his sister, Lei Lei, left Tokyo's Ueno Zoological Gardens in the early afternoon for Narita airport to be flown to China later at night. They are scheduled to arrive Wednesday at a facility in China's Sichuan Province housing their mother Shin Shin and elder sister Xiang Xiang.
At a press conference on Tuesday, Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Kei Sato expressed hopes that exchanges through pandas will continue as they have contributed to improving public sentiment in both Japan and China.
Noting that the twin pandas have won the hearts of many in Japan, Sato said, "I hope they will stay healthy and thrive in China as well."
Since the first pair of giant pandas arrived in Japan from China in 1972 to commemorate the normalization of diplomatic relations between the two countries, the animals have drawn huge crowds and generated economic benefits through tourism and related merchandise, such as toys and goods.
The Ueno zoo pair became the last two pandas in Japan last June after four other animals at the Adventure World amusement park in Shirahama, Wakayama Prefecture, left for China.
Earlier, it was reported that thousands of visitors flocked to Tokyo’s Ueno Zoological Gardens on Sunday to bid farewell to Xiao Xiao and Lei Lei.
