“Pandas, as adorable and rare animals, have long been used by the Chinese Communist Party as a diplomatic tool, leasing them to other countries as a gesture of friendship. Recently, the theme park ‘Adventure World’ in Shirahama City, Wakayama Prefecture, Japan announced that they will be sending back all four pandas they currently house back to China by the end of June this year. During the May Day holiday, many visitors came to see the pandas and expressed disappointment at the news of the pandas being returned to China.
The four pandas set to leave are the 24-year-old female panda named ‘Ryohama’ and her three cubs, 8-year-old ‘Yuihama’, 6-year-old ‘Saihama’, and 4-year-old ‘Kaohama’. The pandas born in Shirahama are named with the suffix ‘hama’ from the place name, affectionately known as ‘Hamaya’. The park announced that these four pandas will be sent back to a breeding research base in Sichuan Province, China by the end of June.
Due to the advanced age of ‘Ryohama’, she will reside in a panda medical institution in Sichuan, while the other three pandas will search for partners to breed in the future.
The joint panda conservation project between Japan and China, started in 1994, is set to expire in August this year. However, considering the temperature impact on pandas in August, the decision was made to send them back to China earlier in June. In the past 30 years, 17 pandas have been born at Shirahama Adventure World. The company stated, ‘We hope to continue this cooperation project and will continue discussions with the Chinese side.’ As of now, Japan will only have two pandas left at Ueno Zoo in Tokyo.
Shirahama, located in the southern part of Wakayama Prefecture with a population of less than 20,000, is a popular tourist destination in Wakayama Prefecture. Visitors can enjoy magnificent natural scenery, soak in one of Japan’s three major hot springs, and indulge in fresh seafood dishes. The white sandy beaches and blue sea at Shirahama Beach form a striking contrast, attracting tourists from all over Japan to admire the surrounding views and cuisine.
Regarding the issue of pandas returning to China, Epoch Times reporters interviewed Japanese citizens:
Wada, who is engaged in education, expressed, ‘I love pandas. When my children were young, we often went to see them, and my children find pandas very cute. However, the fact that the Chinese Communist Party uses the Japanese people’s fondness for pandas to achieve political goals by using them as a diplomatic tool is extremely disrespectful to both pandas and the Japanese people.’
Sato, who operates a restaurant in Shirahama, said, ‘For Shirahama’s Adventure World, without the pandas, the number of visitors may decrease, and the local consumption level will also decrease, meaning fewer hotel guests.’
Inoue, who works for the government, noted, ‘Pandas were sent to Japan as leased animals, and the annual lease fee for each panda is 100 million yen, with the cost of feeding and treating all illnesses borne by the Japanese side. The cost of raising pandas is very high, and the environmental requirements are also strict. Even though panda babies are born in Japan, they will eventually return to China, but the annual costs during their time in Japan remain unchanged.’
The Chinese Communist Party’s ‘Panda Diplomacy’ began in the 1950s, using the cute and adorable giant pandas as a diplomatic tool, leasing them to other countries as a gesture of friendship. The Chinese official reportedly acknowledged that since the 1990s, the Chinese government has engaged in panda diplomacy with over 20 countries including the Soviet Union, North Korea, the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, and Japan.”