Photo/Illutration A koala called “Tilly” kept at Higashiyama Zoo in Nagoya originally lived at Taronga Zoo in Sydney, Australia. (Provided by Higashiyama Zoo and Botanical Garden)

With their fluffy round ears and large, black noses, six koalas arrived in Japan on Oct. 25, 1984, as gifts from Australia. Two each were sent to zoos in Tokyo, Nagoya and Kagoshima as goodwill envoys. At the time, sweet buns named Koala Manju were said to sell like--well--hotcakes.

I once heard from a high-ranking Australian official that when the Australian government decided to gift koalas to Japan, it was “conscious of pandas.”

The latter, given to Japan by China to commemorate the normalization of their diplomatic ties, received a rapturous welcome in Japan.

It appears that the cuddly envoys from the Southern Hemisphere were also meant to fulfill an important diplomatic mission.

Looking back to that period, Japan-Australia relations remained tense until the mid-1970s due to trade friction over iron ore and beef.

It was after the Japan-Australia Basic Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation was signed in 1976 that bilateral cultural and athletic exchanges began to take off. The arrival of the koalas was part of that trend.

In Australia, where droughts and wildfires occur frequently and the koala population continues to shrink, the marsupial has become a symbol of environmental protection and nature conservation

According to Aborigine lore, koala abuse will invite severe drought. This is based on the story of a thirsty boy who was killed for stealing water but was saved by a spirit that turned him into a koala.

I believe the koala’s adorable looks go perfectly with images of friendship and peace. The animals sleep 20 hours a day on treetops, munching on Eucalyptus leaves. Joeys grow up in the safety of their mothers’ pouches.

Forty years after the arrival of the six koalas, military cooperation is advancing rapidly today between Japan’s Self-Defense Forces and the Australian Defense Force.

I assume China’s presence is in the background, but I pray that the Japan-Australia relationship will always be for peace.

--The Asahi Shimbun, Oct. 26

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Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a popular daily column that takes up a wide range of topics, including culture, arts and social trends and developments. Written by veteran Asahi Shimbun writers, the column provides useful perspectives on and insights into contemporary Japan and its culture.