Last Updated on January 28, 2026 8:15 pm by INDIAN AWAAZ
WEB DESK
Japan’s last pair of pandas returned to China early this morning, leaving Japan without the lovable bears for the first time in half a century. China first sent pandas to Japan in 1972. Beijing has long used the bears as a diplomatic tool- a sign of goodwill and an extension of the country’s soft power, and it retracts them when bilateral relationships turn adversarial. While Beijing lends pandas to other countries, it maintains ownership over the animals, including new cubs.
The bears are heading back as diplomatic relations between the two countries are at their lowest point in years over Japan’s stance on Taiwan.