When Ueno Zoo in Tokyo announced this week that its most famous residents, Xiao Xiao and Lei Lei — twin 4-year-old giant pandas on loan from China — would go home in late January, a frenzy broke out in Japan.

本周，东京上野动物园宣布，其最知名的居民——从中国租借的4岁双胞胎大熊猫晓晓和蕾蕾——将于1月底返回中国。消息一出，日本国内掀起轩然大波。

Thousands of people descended on the zoo after seeing news alerts warning that Japan would soon be panda-less for the first time in more than half a century. Fears spread that the pandas would not be replaced as China punishes Japan over its of recent expression of support for Taiwan.

成千上万人看到新闻中关于半个多世纪以来日本将首次没有熊猫的警报后，纷纷涌向动物园。由于中国近期因日本表态支持台湾而对其采取反制措施，民众纷纷担忧这对大熊猫走后不会有替代者。

Mitsuko Usui, 65, visited the zoo on Tuesday with her family, lining up at 9 a.m. for a glimpse of Lei Lei. When her son was young, she brought him to see Chinese pandas here, and she wanted to repeat the tradition with her granddaughters.

65岁的臼井美津子（音）周二与家人一同前往动物园，早上9点便开始排队，只为一睹蕾蕾的风采。在她儿子小时候，她曾带他来这里观看中国大熊猫，如今她希望能和孙女们延续这一传统。

“It’s so hard to imagine Japan without pandas,” Ms. Usui said.

“很难想象日本没有熊猫的日子，”臼井说。

China and Japan made plans months ago for Xiao Xiao and Lei Lei, who were born at Ueno Zoo in 2021, to return home early next year. But Japanese officials say there has been no progress in talks with the Chinese authorities about sending replacements.

这对双胞胎大熊猫于2021年在上野动物园出生，中日两国数月前就已计划让它们明年初回国。但日本官员表示，与中国当局就派遣替代熊猫的谈判尚未取得任何进展。

Now the political climate has turned dire, as China fumes about comments by Japan’s prime minister, Sanae Takaichi. She said last month that Japan could intervene militarily if China were to attack Taiwan, a self-governed democracy that Beijing claims is part of its territory. Beijing has urged millions of tourists to avoid Japan, restricted Japanese seafood imports and increased military patrols.

如今，两国之间的政治氛围变得十分紧张。中国对日本首相高市早苗的相关言论表示强烈不满——她上月称，若中国攻击台湾这个北京声称是其领土的自治地区，日本可能会进行军事干预。对此，北京已敦促数百万游客避免前往日本，限制日本海产品进口，并加强了军事巡逻。

The Chinese foreign ministry declined to comment on whether it would keep sending pandas to Japan, referring questions to the “relevant Chinese authorities.”

中国外交部拒绝就是否会继续向日本派遣大熊猫置评，将相关问题交由“中国主管部门”处理。

周二，上野动物园的游客们排起长队，只为观看双胞胎熊猫晓晓和蕾蕾。

In Japan, pandas are considered the epitome of “kawaii,” or cute, culture. Millions of people visit Ueno Zoo each year to see Xiao Xiao and Lei Lei, the first twin pandas to be born there. Pandas are everywhere: on keychains, coffee mugs, winter socks and cream-filled pastries.

在日本，熊猫被视为可爱文化的象征。每年有数以百万计的人前往上野动物园看望晓晓和蕾蕾——它们是首次在该动物园诞生的双胞胎熊猫。这里的熊猫元素无处不在：钥匙扣、咖啡杯、冬季袜子和奶油糕点上都能见到它们的身影。

Mami Yonezawa, a frequent visitor, lined up repeatedly on Tuesday to say goodbye to the pandas, saying their departure made her sad.

常客米谷真美（音）周二多次排队与熊猫道别，称它们的离开让她十分难过。

“Pandas should be separate from political disputes,” she said. “They shouldn’t be used as cards.”

“熊猫应该远离政治争端，”她说。“它们不应该被当作筹码。”

Pandas have symbolized friendship between China and Japan since 1972, when China sent its first delegation of pandas, Kang Kang and Lan Lan, to celebrate the establishment of diplomatic ties between the countries. China has continued to dispatch the furry ambassadors even through disputes over territory, military policy, human rights and Japan’s wartime atrocities.

自1972年以来，熊猫一直是中日友谊的象征。当年，中国派遣首对熊猫“康康”和“兰兰”前往日本，庆祝两国建立外交关系。即便在发生领土争端、军事政策、人权问题以及日本战时暴行等争议期间，中国仍继续派遣这些毛茸茸的大使们。

1972年，为庆祝中日建交，大熊猫康康（左）和兰兰从中国抵达上野动物园。

Minoru Kihara, a top official in Ms. Takaichi’s cabinet, said he hoped a solution could be reached.

高市早苗内阁高级官员木原稔表示，希望双方能找到解决方案。

“Pandas are widely beloved by the Japanese people,” he said at a news conference in Tokyo on Monday. “Pandas have contributed to improving public sentiment in both Japan and China. We hope that these exchanges will continue.”

“熊猫深受日本民众喜爱，”周一他在东京的新闻发布会上说。“熊猫为改善中日两国公众情绪做出了贡献。我们希望这类交流能够继续下去。”

China has long used pandas to cultivate relationships with foreign politicians, soften China’s image abroad and shape policy on Taiwan. The hashtag “Japan will no longer have pandas” trended this week on Weibo, a popular Chinese social media platform, and some commenters said Japan did not deserve pandas until it changed its tune on Taiwan.

长期以来，中国一直利用熊猫与外国政界人士建立关系、软化自身海外形象，并影响有关台湾的政策。本周，“日本将不再有大熊猫”的话题登上中国热门社交媒体微博的热搜榜，部分网友表示，在日本改变对台湾的态度之前，不配拥有熊猫。

周二，上野动物园的晓晓。

Some zoos have gone without pandas for long stretches of time, including the Smithsonian’s National Zoo in Washington, which endured an 11-month pause before welcoming a pair of pandas last year. (Foreign zoos usually agree to send young pandas back to China before they turn 4 so they can take part in a breeding program. Adult pandas go back when they are elderly, typically in their 20s.)

有些动物园曾长期没有熊猫，例如华盛顿史密森尼国家动物园在去年迎来一对熊猫之前，曾经历了11个月的“熊猫空窗期”。（外国动物园通常同意在熊猫幼崽四岁前将其送回中国，以便它们参与繁育计划；成年熊猫则在年老时返回，通常是在20多岁的时候。）

For foreign leaders, pandas are often high on the list of priorities. During a recent state visit to China, President Emmanuel Macron of France secured replacements for two elderly pandas that recently returned to China. A pair of pandas will come to France in 2027 under a 10-year agreement.

对于外国领导人来说，熊猫往往是优先事项清单上的重要一项。在最近对中国的国事访问期间，法国总统马克龙成功为两只近期返回中国的老年熊猫争取到了替代者。根据一项为期10年的协议，一对熊猫将于2027年前往法国。

Yun Sun, director of the China Program at the Stimson Center in Washington, said Beijing’s panda diplomacy was “more a policy instrument than conservation program.”

华盛顿史汀生中心中国项目主任孙韵表示，北京的熊猫外交“更多是一种政策工具，而非保护计划”。

“Given the current realities of the Sino-Japan relations, and the unlikelihood for Takaichi to take steps the Chinese would deem necessary and satisfactory to de-escalate, new pandas for Japan will be unlikely for the foreseeable future,” she said.

“考虑到当前中日关系的实际情况，以及高市早苗不太可能采取中国认为必要且满意的降温措施，在可预见的未来，日本很难迎来新的熊猫，”她说。

At Ueno Zoo, the last day of viewing for Xiao Xiao and Lei Lei is Jan. 25. Zoo officials have set up a reservation system for visits, to prevent overcrowding. More than 187,000 people are expected to visit in the coming weeks, subjected to a viewing limit of one minute.

在上野动物园，晓晓和蕾蕾的最后参观日被定为1月25日。动物园官员已设立预约参观系统，以防止过度拥挤。预计未来几周将有超过18.7万人前来参观，每位游客的观看时间限制为一分钟。

On Tuesday, a line to see pandas stretched for more than a mile. Television crews set up shop near bamboo groves. Zookeepers fielded questions from journalists about China-Japan tensions.

周二，看望熊猫的队伍绵延超过1.5公里。电视台工作人员在竹林附近搭建了拍摄点，动物园饲养员则回应了记者关于中日紧张关系的相关提问。

Ms. Usui and her family were giddy after they emerged from seeing Lei Lei. Her son Tsuyoshi Usui, 39, said he was pleased to be able to carry on the family’s panda-viewing tradition.

臼井一家看完蕾蕾后十分兴奋。她39岁的儿子、理发师臼井刚（音）说，能够延续家族看熊猫的传统，他感到很开心。

“It’s so sad that we won’t be able to see them anymore,” said Mr. Usui, a hairdresser. “They’re so cute.”

“以后再也看不到它们了，真的很伤心，”臼井刚说。“它们太可爱了。”