Four Giant Pandas Born in Japan Returned to China

Only Two Pandas Remain in Japan, Both at Ueno Zoo
The Last Two Are Also Scheduled to Return to China in February Next Year

Four female giant pandas, born in Japan and raised at the Adventure World theme park in Wakayama Prefecture, western Honshu, have left Japan and headed to China.

According to Kyodo News and Asahi Shimbun on the 29th, 24-year-old Rauhin, along with her offspring?8-year-old Yuihin, 6-year-old Saihin, and 4-year-old Fuhin?departed Adventure World on the morning of the previous day. About 300 people, including staff, gathered at the site to bid them farewell. The pandas traveled in two trucks to Kansai International Airport in Osaka, and then boarded a chartered flight to the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding in China.

Panda fans are bidding farewell to the giant panda being returned to China at Adventure World in Wakayama Prefecture, Japan, on the 27th. Photo by Xinhua News Agency

Adventure World held a farewell event for the pandas on the 27th, giving the public a final opportunity to see them. Around 3,000 panda fans attended the event, and some visitors were seen shedding tears out of sadness and regret.

The Chinese Association of Zoological Gardens announced in a statement the previous day that "thanks to friendly consultations with Japan and thorough preparations, the four giant pandas have arrived safely." Adventure World signed a "Giant Panda Conservation Joint Project" agreement with China in 1994 and has raised a total of 20 pandas to date. However, with this return, there are now no pandas left at the park. The Wakayama Prefectural Government requested the loan of a male panda from China, citing the fact that all four pandas returned this time were female, but the request was not granted.

Currently, only two pandas remain in Japan: male Xiaoxiao and female Leilei, both housed at Ueno Zoo in Tokyo. According to China’s panda ownership policy, even pandas born abroad must be returned to China around the age of four, when they reach adulthood. Fubao, who was much loved in South Korea, was also returned to China earlier this year under this policy. Xiaoxiao and Leilei, twins born on June 23, 2021, are scheduled to be returned by February 20 next year.

The Mainichi Shimbun pointed out that if China does not loan new pandas and does not extend the return deadline for the pandas at Ueno Zoo, pandas will disappear from Japan. In this context, Hiroshi Moriyama, Secretary-General of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, reportedly requested a panda loan from senior Chinese officials during his visit to China in April. However, there has been no clear response from the Chinese side.