On this day, 53 years ago, on November 4, 1972 (September 29, 1972, the lunar calendar), Tokyo held a ceremony to welcome giant pandas. On November 4, 1972, a ceremony to accept a pair of giant pandas presented by the China people to Japanese citizens was held in Ueno Park, Tokyo. Chief Cabinet Secretary of the Japanese Government Tsamu Nikai, Secretary-General of the Liberal Democratic Party Noborisaburo Hashimoto, Deputy Political Minister of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan Masahisa Aoki, Governor of Tokyo Mino Ryoyoshi, Komeito MP Nakagawa, Socialist Party MP Yuko Mochizuki, Speaker of the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly Naoyuki Tomita, Director of Ueno Zoo Miyoshi Asano, and more than 200 people from all walks of life in Japan including Kenzo Nakajima, Yuichi Nishionji, Ogiohara, Tadamichi Koga, and Goro Kiyoshi attended the ceremony. Xiao Xiangqian, chief representative of the Tokyo Liaison Office of the China-Japan Memorandum Trade Office of China, Zhang Xiaoguang, head of the Beijing City Public Utilities Bureau who escorted the giant pandas to Tokyo, and Du Hongzhang, head of the breeding at the Beijing Zoo, attended the ceremony. At the gift receiving ceremony, Miyoshi Asano, director of Tokyo's Ueno Zoo, first delivered a speech. He said: "This pair of pandas is the best gift given by the China people to the Japanese people and a symbol of the friendship between the two peoples on November 4." Asano also said: "I feel extremely happy and honored that Ueno Zoo is responsible for raising this pair of pandas." He said that pandas must be raised carefully. Zhang Xiaoguang, head of the Beijing City Public Utilities Bureau, said in his speech: "Shortly after the normalization of diplomatic relations between China and Japan, on October 29, Japanese citizens presented precious gifts to the China people, mountain cherry blossoms and larch saplings. Today we are very happy to be able to present the gifts of the China people-two giant pandas to the Japanese people." Zhang Xiaoguang said: "The establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Japan has opened a new chapter in the relations between the two countries. The people of China and Japan have given gifts to each other, adding a beautiful page to this new chapter. It is a new development in the friendly relations between the two peoples. Concrete manifestation." He wished the friendship between the people of China and Japan would last forever. Shinu Nikai spoke on behalf of the Japanese government. He expressed gratitude to the China people for presenting a pair of giant pandas to Japanese citizens. He said: "In September this year, Prime Minister Tanaka visited China and signed a statement on the establishment of diplomatic relations between Japan and China. As a symbol of permanent peace between Japan and China, Japanese citizens presented 1,000 cherry saplings and 1,000 pine saplings to the people of China." Nikaido said: "After the signing ceremony, Premier Zhou Enlai said that the China people presented a pair of giant pandas to the Japanese people. We happily accepted this gift." Nikaido expressed the hope that the friendly relations between the peoples of Japan and China will always be developed. Tokyo Governor Reyokichi Mino also spoke at the ceremony, expressing the hope that the friendship between the Japanese and Chinese peoples will continue to develop. Later, friends from China and Japan watched the giant panda together. The escort who presented a pair of giant pandas to Japanese nationals on behalf of the people of China arrived in Tokyo by special plane on the evening of October 28. They were warmly welcomed by Sanyoshi Asano, director of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan, the headquarters of the Japan-China Friendship Association (Orthodox), the Japan-China Cultural Exchange Association, the Japan Association for the Promotion of International Trade, the Japan-China Fisheries Association and the director of the Ueno Zoo in Tokyo.