Since 1972, "Panda Diplomacy" has been a symbol of the Chinese Communist government's "good-neighborly and friendly diplomacy."
However, we Asian people already know what the communist dictatorship means by "good-neighborly and friendly." No explanation is needed.
The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs has been distributing a huge number of threatening documents (all in Japanese) on the Internet (I won't reproduce them here because I don't want to be accused of "copyright infringement."). We are once again being reminded that this government is a fanatical, anachronistic cult group.
On the other hand, the Chinese government is using the "pandas at Ueno Zoo" as a "diplomatic card," demanding, "Give us back the pandas!"
Not long ago, the French government, taking an anti-Trump stance (based on human rights and democracy issues), demanded that President Trump "return" the Statue of Liberty.
To Americans, New York's Statue of Liberty is a historical treasure that symbolizes the absolute ideal of "America." There's no way the US government would "return" it.
(Incidentally, the Statue of Liberty in Odaiba, Tokyo, was also a gift from the French government, but that's a complete black joke.)
But pandas are not a symbol of Japan. Nor are they a symbol of Tokyo. The symbol of Ueno Park is the dog that Saigō Takamori brought with him.
Is there really anyone who says, "I saw a panda at the zoo. It was so cute. It made me want to give the Spratly Islands to China," or, "I love pandas. Therefore, I don't mind if many Taiwanese citizen are killed by the Chinese army."？
Such abnormal person are probably rare.
There may be a few people who say, "I saw a display of Japanese macaques bathing in a hot spring at a historic zoo in the United States. They were truly amusing animals, with their bright red faces and buttocks. I began to like Japanese people, who look just like Japanese macaques."
However, I have yet to meet a Japanese person who says, "I saw the pandas. And then, I had a good impression of the Communist dictatorship.
The issue of Taiwan's defense has nothing to do with the panda exhibit at Ueno Zoo.
The reality of the Chinese government's "panda diplomacy" is "threatening diplomacy": "If Japan intends to protect the lives of Taiwanese citizen, we will take their pandas away from Japan!"
By the way, please ask older people around you (those in their 60s, 70s, and 80s), "How many times have you been to the zoo in your life?" Are there any who would say, "I've been about 30 times," or "I've been more than 50 times"?
Among your friends, family, and coworkers, how many have been to the zoo more than 10 times?
A few years ago, when I was watching "Uwasa no Tokyo Magazine" (a BS-TBS program that covered the issues surrounding Yokohama City's zoo), the host introduced some research data and said, "The average number of times a Japanese person visits the zoo in their lifetime is two." You might be surprised at how few times that is, but when I think about it, it might be true.
I also went to the zoo with my family (taken by my parents) when I was a child.
Furthermore, when I was in my third year of junior high school, I was taken to a "children's zoo" on a school field trip. "What the heck！" I thought.
However, in Japan, junior high school, high school, and even university are practically the same as kindergarten, so perhaps it was unavoidable.
A few years ago, deep in the mountains of China, I saw a video of a large, wild panda aggressively attacking the cameraman head-on. The cameraman panicked and fled (while still filming). It's unclear whether the panda saw the man's face as a delicious food or whether he was excited by the suspicious video camera.
The video was shocking and different from the image of a "gentle and cute panda," but I found it more interesting than watching the pandas sleeping in the panda enclosure at Ueno Zoo.
In Japan, going to a zoo is difficult unless you happen to live near one. Going to a safari park in the countryside is of course difficult. Urban zoos like Ueno Zoo don't have parking, so we have to take the train. The trains are crowded and we have to stand. The zoo is also crowded, with very little space to rest or relax. Traveling with children is a hassle, so we have to leave home early in the morning. We'll spend the whole day there and return home exhausted. This can be a problem if we have work or school the next day. Going to the zoo with our family is a major family event, so we can't go often.
Once we reach junior high school, club activities, friendships, and so on mean that a full day of free time is almost nonexistent. Few junior high school students invite their parents or friends to go to the zoo on their rare days off.
Ueno Zoo is crowded, there aren't many places to sit, and it's impossible to find time to relax and unwind, making it a terrible date spot. High school and college students rarely invite their boyfriends or girlfriends to the zoo.
Many people take their children to the zoo for the first time in a long time after they reach middle age.
The statistic that "the average number of times Japanese people visit the zoo in their lifetime is two" can be said to reflect reality.
Nowadays, famous zoos around the world, including those in Germany, the United States, and Australia, use videos and photos to showcase their exhibits and animal husbandry on their websites and social media accounts. The articles they publish are also well-written.
The BBC and Discovery Channel frequently broadcast excellent documentaries about animals and nature conservation. Animal Planet (a satellite channel broadcast free of charge in Japan, 24 hours a day, on the first Sunday of each month) airs animal-related programs 24 hours a day, every day, with excellent planning, composition, and video technology.
These days, there are hardly any Japanese people who are obsessed with the pandas at Ueno Zoo.
There are some left-wing "Japanese" (such as those associated with the Sōka Gakkai and Kōmeitō Party, who may be connected to Chinese intelligence agents) who are making a fuss, saying, "If we anger the Chinese government, pandas will disappear from Japan！"
There is also the possibility that this was staged by Chinese government agents. A left-wing newspaper quoted the opinion of a "Japanese" netizen (source unknown), who said, "Takaichi has caused a terrible situation. Takaichi is causing trouble for all Japanese people. Takaichi should resign." Similar comments are also being made in large numbers online (on message boards and social media).
However, they are in the minority.
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