S/ Nippon TV correspondent Hasegawa Yutaka: This is China’s giant panda park. There is a long line of people even before it opens.

At the national giant panda conservation and research center in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, there was a long line of Japanese tourists.

Many Japanese tourists celebrated on June 12 the seventh birthday of Xiang Xiang, the giant panda born at Ueno Zoo in Tokyo and returned to China last year.

S/ Japanese tourist: I came from Tokyo to celebrate Xiang Xiang’s seventh birthday.

S/ Another Japanese tourist: Since (Xiang Xiang) is a one-of-a-kind presence, I feel motivated to work hard in various ways.

Xiang Xiang was returned to China in February 2023 under an agreement with China.

Her birthday is being celebrated publicly in China for the first time, and according to a travel agency, more than 300 Japanese visitors are expected to see her on June 12.