Crowds flock to Tokyo zoo to see pandas before they leave for China

TOKYO: Panda fans flocked to the Ueno Zoo in Tokyo on Sunday to say goodbye to its star attractions - two giant pandas, who will be sent back to China at the end of the month.

The departure of four-year-old twins Xiao Xiao and Lei Lei leaves Japan panda-less for the first time since 1972, prompting thousands to apply for lottery-assigned tickets to say goodbye.

“I’ve been coming since the parents of Xiao Xiao and Lei Lei were here,” said 54-year-old finance-sector worker Machiko Seki. “It feels like one family’s story is coming to an end.”

While their move to China has been planned for some time, the pandas’ coming absence has been viewed as a reflection of deteriorating China-Japan relations in recent months.

In November, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said a hypothetical Chinese attack on Taiwan could bring about a Japanese military response. That triggered a furious response from Beijing, which claims sovereignty over the democratically-governed island.

Political tensions were not the focus of many zoo-goers on Sunday, when visitors were allowed one-minute windows to see the bears.

“The pandas have given me so much - energy, courage, healing,” Seki said. “I wanted to come today to express my gratitude.”

Even people who did not win tickets made the journey.

“Today, I didn’t win the lottery for the panda viewing, so I can’t see the pandas in person,” said 49-year-old housewife Akiko Kawakami.

“I came here today because I wanted to breathe the same air as the pandas.”