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Japan's latest overtime example? Xiang Xiang the panda

January 23, 2018
This file photo taken on Dec. 18, 2017 shows baby panda Xiang Xiang playing in her enclosure during a press preview at Ueno Zoo in Tokyo, Japan. - AFP
This file photo taken on Dec. 18, 2017 shows baby panda Xiang Xiang playing in her enclosure during a press preview at Ueno Zoo in Tokyo, Japan. - AFP



TOKYO - By popular demand, Tokyo's new panda cub Xiang Xiang is working extra hours from Tuesday, the latest example of overtime in a country famous for its hard-working "salarymen." Ueno zoo's first baby panda since 1988 will be on display for an extra two hours every day until the end of January and working a full seven-hour day from February to cater to the thousands of fans of the cuddly celebrity. Munching on bamboo shoots and nuzzling her mother, the bright-eyed seven-month-old has been the object of major media attention, with visitors clad in panda paraphernalia flocking to see her since her first public appearance in December. More than a quarter of a million fans entered a lottery to get a first glimpse but zoo officials initially limited visitors to 400 per day during a three-hour window. Until the end of January however, panda fans can get a first-come, first-served ticket to see Xiang Xiang, who will be on display for five hours a day. And from February, the hours are expected to be extended again - to a seven-hour shift - as the zoo seeks to accommodate up to 9,500 fans of the curious cub. - AFP


January 23, 2018
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