Last pandas leave for China as bilateral ties fray

Hundreds gathered to say farewell to two popular pandas departing Tokyo for China yesterday, leaving Japan without any of the beloved bears for the first time in 50 years as ties between the Asian neighbours fray.

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Four-year-old female giant panda Lei Lei eats bamboo at Ueno Zoo during the last viewing day before her return to China, in Tokyo, Japan, on Sunday. REUTERS

(REUTERS)

Panda twins Lei Lei and Xiao Xiao were transported by truck out of Ueno Zoological Gardens, their birthplace, disappointing many Japanese fans who have grown attached to the furry four-year-olds.

“I’ve been coming to watch them since they were born,” Nene Hashino, a woman in her 40s wearing a panda-themed jacket and clutching a bear stuffed toy, told AFP.

“It feels like my own children are going somewhere far away. It’s sad.”