The Japanese government has asked the Chinese government to loan Japan more giant pandas. Amid the growing popularity of the giant panda cub Xiang Xiang, who is on public view at Ueno Zoo in Taito Ward, Tokyo, the Japanese government hopes to realize the loan as soon as possible as a symbol of improved relations between Japan and China.
The Japanese government is considering Oji Zoo and Yagiyama Zoological Park in Sendai as possible breeding facilities for new pandas. Oji Zoo has only one female, Tan Tan, meaning they need a male for breeding. Yagiyama Zoological Park has petitioned for pandas, to cheer up people affected by the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake.
Giant pandas are extremely popular in each country for their cute appearance and rarity; they have become an important diplomatic tool for the Chinese government. China is likely to decide whether to loan more pandas after carefully examining developments in China-Japan relationships.
Shin Shin and Ri Ri — Xiang Xiang’s mother and father — were borrowed from China in February 2011, and the Japanese side has paid a total of $950,000 (about ¥100 million) a year to have them.
Pandas are very popular with tourists, so they are a big money-maker. They also create an impression of a friendly government--pandas are adorable + the government supports pandas = the government cares about adorable things.
In this case, pandas also create an impression of good relations between Japan and China, a relationship that has been difficult and even destructive for generations.