中国网站品牌栏目（频道）
A pair of giant pandas could be on their way to a zoo in the tsunami-affected area of Japan.
Zhang Jingshuo, an assistant professor of zoology under the Chinese Academy of Sciences said: "It will be a heartwarming event if pandas are successfully sent to Japan to cheer the children up”.
The idea originated from correspondence between Premier Wen Jiabao and a Japanese girl he met during his visit to Miyagi prefecture in late May following the magnitude-9 quake and ensuing tsunami that struck Japan on March 11.
According to Japan's Mainichi Daily News, the girl wrote to Wen after his visit, saying she loves pandas and often goes to see them when she travels. The premier reportedly sent a reply inviting her to China.
Mayor of the disaster-hit city of Sendai, Emiko Okuyama, said she has communicated with the Chinese ambassador about leasing pandas to the city-run Yagiyama Zoological Park, according to Mainichi.
The Japanese central government would back the bid if the zoo asks for its support, Mainichi said.
An application for leasing two pandas to Japan has been received and is being processed, said the department of wildlife conservation and nature reserve management under the State Forestry Administration.
However, there is a complicated application procedure and approvals from many departments are required.
China gave a pair of pandas to Japan in 1972 to commemorate the normalization of bilateral relations.
In 2000, it leased a pair of pandas to another Japanese zoo following the 1995 earthquake that devastated the city of Kobe.
（中国日报网英语点津 Helen 编辑）
About the broadcaster:
Lee Hannon is Chief Editor at China Daily with 15-years experience in print and broadcast journalism. Born in England, Lee has traveled extensively around the world as a journalist including four years as a senior editor in Los Angeles. He now lives in Beijing and is happy to move to China and join the China Daily team.
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