Japan will be left without any pandas, as Tokyo is expected to return two giant pandas to China, the Tokyo Metropolitan government confirmed on Monday. The pair will be returned by the end of January.
The pandas were given to Japan as a symbol of friendship between the two nations, and this is the first time since 1972 that Japan will be pandaless, according to the Japan Times.
Both pandas, Xiao Xiao and Lei Lei, have called the Ueno Zoological Gardens home since their birth in 2021.
The metropolitan government attempted to negotiate with China to allow the twins to remain until their replacement pandas arrived in February; however, their stay was shortened by a month. There are no prospects for new load pandas, according to international reports.
The pandas’ early departure is due to a scheduling issue.
Japan and China clash over stances on Taiwanese independence
The incident follows escalated tensions between the countries over Taiwan.
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's comments on Taiwan sparked the most serious diplomatic clash in years when she told Japanese lawmakers this month that a Chinese attack on Taiwan threatening Japan's survival could trigger a military response.
China's foreign ministry said Liu Jinsong, head of the ministry's Asia affairs department, had pressed at the meeting for Takaichi to retract her remarks. But Japan's top government spokesperson, Minoru Kihara, suggested Tokyo was in no mood to do so.
The comments did "not alter the government's existing position," Kihara told a press conference on Tuesday, adding that the government hoped issues concerning Taiwan would be resolved peacefully through dialogue.
A video posted on social media by China's Communist Party-run newspaper Guangming Daily showed Liu telling reporters that he was "of course dissatisfied" with the meeting, and described the atmosphere as "solemn."
Beijing claims democratically governed Taiwan as its own and has not ruled out using force to take control of the island. Taiwan's government rejects Beijing's claims.
A Chinese diplomat in Japan responded to Takaichi's remarks by posting a threatening comment aimed at her on social media. That drew a strong rebuke from Tokyo, though it failed to stem vitriolic commentary against her in Chinese state media.