When Ueno Zoo in Tokyo announced this week that its most famous residents, Xiao Xiao and Lei Lei — twin 4-year-old giant pandas on loan from China — would go home in late January, a frenzy broke out in Japan.
Thousands of people descended on the zoo after seeing news alerts warning that Japan would soon be panda-less for the first time in more than half a century. Fears spread that the pandas would not be replaced as China punishes Japan over its of recent expression of support for Taiwan.
Mitsuko Usui, 65, visited the zoo on Tuesday with her family, lining up at 9 a.m. for a glimpse of Lei Lei. When her son was young, she brought him to see Chinese pandas here, and she wanted to repeat the tradition with her granddaughters.
“It’s so hard to imagine Japan without pandas,” Ms. Usui said.
China and Japan made plans months ago for Xiao Xiao and Lei Lei, who were born at Ueno Zoo in 2021, to return home early next year. But Japanese officials say there has been no progress in talks with the Chinese authorities about sending replacements.
Now the political climate has turned dire, as China fumes about comments by Japan’s prime minister, Sanae Takaichi. She said last month that Japan could intervene militarily if China were to attack Taiwan, a self-governed democracy that Beijing claims is part of its territory. Beijing has urged millions of tourists to avoid Japan, restricted Japanese seafood imports and increased military patrols.
The Chinese foreign ministry declined to comment on whether it would keep sending pandas to Japan, referring questions to the “relevant Chinese authorities.”
In Japan, pandas are considered the epitome of “kawaii,” or cute, culture. Millions of people visit Ueno Zoo each year to see Xiao Xiao and Lei Lei, the first twin pandas to be born there. Pandas are everywhere: on keychains, coffee mugs, winter socks and cream-filled pastries.
Mami Yonezawa, a frequent visitor, lined up repeatedly on Tuesday to say goodbye to the pandas, saying their departure made her sad.
“Pandas should be separate from political disputes,” she said. “They shouldn’t be used as cards.”
Pandas have symbolized friendship between China and Japan since 1972, when China sent its first delegation of pandas, Kang Kang and Lan Lan, to celebrate the establishment of diplomatic ties between the countries. China has continued to dispatch the furry ambassadors even through disputes over territory, military policy, human rights and Japan’s wartime atrocities.
Minoru Kihara, a top official in Ms. Takaichi’s cabinet, said he hoped a solution could be reached.
“Pandas are widely beloved by the Japanese people,” he said at a news conference in Tokyo on Monday. “Pandas have contributed to improving public sentiment in both Japan and China. We hope that these exchanges will continue.”
China has long used pandas to cultivate relationships with foreign politicians, soften China’s image abroad and shape policy on Taiwan. The hashtag “Japan will no longer have pandas” trended this week on Weibo, a popular Chinese social media platform, and some commenters said Japan did not deserve pandas until it changed its tune on Taiwan.
Some zoos have gone without pandas for long stretches of time, including the Smithsonian’s National Zoo in Washington, which endured an 11-month pause before welcoming a pair of pandas last year. (Foreign zoos usually agree to send young pandas back to China before they turn 4 so they can take part in a breeding program. Adult pandas go back when they are elderly, typically in their 20s.)
For foreign leaders, pandas are often high on the list of priorities. During a recent state visit to China, President Emmanuel Macron of France secured replacements for two elderly pandas that recently returned to China. A pair of pandas will come to France in 2027 under a 10-year agreement.
Yun Sun, director of the China Program at the Stimson Center in Washington, said Beijing’s panda diplomacy was “more a policy instrument than conservation program.”
“Given the current realities of the Sino-Japan relations, and the unlikelihood for Takaichi to take steps the Chinese would deem necessary and satisfactory to de-escalate, new pandas for Japan will be unlikely for the foreseeable future,” she said.
At Ueno Zoo, the last day of viewing for Xiao Xiao and Lei Lei is Jan. 25. Zoo officials have set up a reservation system for visits, to prevent overcrowding. More than 187,000 people are expected to visit in the coming weeks, subjected to a viewing limit of one minute.
On Tuesday, a line to see pandas stretched for more than a mile. Television crews set up shop near bamboo groves. Zookeepers fielded questions from journalists about China-Japan tensions.
Ms. Usui and her family were giddy after they emerged from seeing Lei Lei. Her son Tsuyoshi Usui, 39, said he was pleased to be able to carry on the family’s panda-viewing tradition.
“It’s so sad that we won’t be able to see them anymore,” said Mr. Usui, a hairdresser. “They’re so cute.”
Siyi Zhao contributed research from Beijing.
Javier C. Hernández is the Tokyo bureau chief for The Times, leading coverage of Japan and the region. He has reported from Asia for much of the past decade, previously serving as China correspondent in Beijing.
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