TOKYO —

Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda stressed on Friday that many people in Japan are “overjoyed” by China’s recent offer to lease two giant pandas, playing down concerns about potentially costly lease fees as well as about criticism that the bears are used by China for political ends, a government official said.

“There are people who say various things in some media, but this is a very, very small number of people. Most people want to see cute pandas, so we’re overjoyed,” Fukuda was quoted as saying in an interview with a China Central Television newscaster at his office. The death of Ling Ling at Ueno Zoo has led more than 10,000 people to sign a book expressing their condolences at the zoo by Tuesday, but feelings were mixed among visitors over accepting new pandas with possibly high lease costs. According to a zoo in Kobe, Hyogo Prefecture, which has two giant pandas, the city is paying a total of $1 million, or about 100 million yen, as annual lease fee to China.

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3 Comments

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  some14some at 08:52 AM JST - 10th May

  the city is paying a total of $1 million, or about 100 million yen, as annual lease fee to China

  To me it appears to be a good 'bargain' price even without knowing how much zoo officals are making from the visitors.

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  Kwaabish at 12:38 PM JST - 10th May

  "To me it appears to be a good 'bargain' price even without knowing how much zoo officals are making from the visitors."

  The Ueno Zoo is preliminarily a not-for-profit facility. They weren;t making a profit before with Ling Ling, and they likely will not make a profit after a replacement.

  Besides, the initial reports from the zoo when interviewed by the media was that there were no great differences in the number of visitors now when compared to before Ling Ling's death.

  Maybe they don't need a Panda after all... if it's going to cost $1million a year.

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  thedeath at 01:00 PM JST - 10th May

  100 million yen is not a good bargain price man! is it a good bargain in china?

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