BEIJING -- When all four of the pandas at Adventure World amusement park in Shirahama, Japan, were sent back to China, the local community was overwhelmed with a sense of "panda loss."
Gifts of animals can smooth international relations and garner public support

A panda at the Adventure World amusement park in Japan. The facility's four pandas returned to China at the end of June. © Kyodo
BEIJING -- When all four of the pandas at Adventure World amusement park in Shirahama, Japan, were sent back to China, the local community was overwhelmed with a sense of "panda loss."