Japan’s beloved last pandas leave for China as ties fray

However, China routinely removes pandas from foreign countries and the latest move may not be politically motivated, said Masaki Ienaga, a professor at Tokyo Woman’s Christian University and an expert in East Asian international relations.

“If you talk about (Chinese) politics, the timing of sending pandas is what counts,” and pandas could return to Japan if bilateral ties warm, he said.

Other countries use animals as tools of diplomacy, including Thailand with its elephants and Australia with its koalas, he added.

“But pandas are special,” he said. “They have strong customer-drawing power, and … they can earn money.”