Takaichi’s Taiwan remarks cloud prospects for new pandas in Japan

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s remarks on a Taiwan contingency have irked China, casting a shadow over prospects for new pandas coming to Japan as the return deadline for the twin cubs currently at a zoo in Tokyo approaches in February. Large crowds continued to visit Ueno Zoological Gardens on Saturday as the farewell nears for the giant pandas, Xiao Xiao and Lei Lei. They are currently the only pandas in Japan, drawing significant public interest. The two pandas, born in 2021, are slated to be sent to China under a bilateral lease agreement. One fan expressed concern about the escalating…