In 2020, the Sumida Aquarium (part of the Tokyo Skytree complex) announced that two male sea lions, Tarō and Jirō, who had lived together for 12 years, had "divorced." Keepers noticed they no longer slept touching. They hissed during feeding time. The official explanation was a "personality clash," but relationship experts in Tokyo wrote think-pieces about how even animals change and grow apart.
: This pair was arguably the most famous couple in Japan. They were frequently observed by keepers showing signs of romance and successfully mated multiple times, including a highly publicized 52-second effort
It would be incomplete to discuss Tokyo zoo romantic storylines without addressing the critical undercurrent: the ethical discomfort with captivity. A new generation of Japanese storytellers and daters is beginning to question the zoo’s romantic utility.