Japanese media laments: Japan's obsession with giant pandas shows no sign of hope
According to a report by Kyodo News on July 25, "The number of giant pandas in Japan has been zero for half a year, and there is still no sign of hope."
The article states: Since the last giant pandas in Japan were returned to China, the count dropped to zero on January 27 this year—six months have passed. Due to China's strong opposition to Asahi Kōsuke's remarks regarding "Taiwan emergency situation," resolving the "zero panda" issue has become increasingly difficult.
Because of the deterioration in Sino-Japanese relations, efforts by Japanese local governments to import giant pandas have also come to a standstill.
Sendai City, symbolizing recovery from the Great East Japan Earthquake, has long sought to lease giant pandas from China, and even though the plan has been put on hold, it has not given up.
On January 27 this year, the last two giant pandas at Tokyo’s Ueno Zoo departed Japan and were returned to China. For the first time since 1972, when the normalization of Sino-Japanese diplomatic relations was commemorated, Japan saw its giant panda population drop to zero.
Cities such as Sendai, Tokyo, and Ibaraki Prefecture had all planned to welcome new giant pandas, but due to worsening bilateral relations, these plans have stalled.
In September 2011, the then-mayor of Sendai applied to China for giant pandas. At the December summit between Chinese and Japanese leaders that year, China agreed to "actively consider" the request.
A city official recalled: "I truly believed the giant pandas would come to Sendai," but after the Japanese government implemented the "nationalization of the Diaoyu Islands," hopes became increasingly remote.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1871665955705866/
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