Fans in Japan jostle for final glimpse of China-bound twin pandas

Fans gathered at a Tokyo zoo on Sunday to bid farewell to the last two giant pandas in the country, long a symbol of Sino-Japanese friendship, two days before they leave for China. The departure of Xiao Xiao and his sister, Lei Lei, will leave Japan without any pandas for the first time since 1972, when China gifted a pair to Japan following the normalisation of bilateral ties. Prospects for a new panda loan by China remain uncertain amid soured ties following remarks last year by Prime Minister...