Xiannv and Bili were born in the Wolong Nature Reserve in Sichuan, and were moved to Bifengxia Panda center after the massive earthquake in 2008.

Tokyo is renting the pandas for 950-thousand US dollars a year. The payments will help to rebuild a Sichuan panda sanctuary that was nearly destroyed by the 2008 earthquake, and fund Japan-China joint breeding projects.

The pair are expected to debut for the public in late March following health checks and other procedures.

Expectations are running high for the new set of pandas to boost Tokyo's economy and its relations with Beijing. The zoo and its neighborhood community have worked for months to provide VIP-class hospitality.