The Fukui Prefectural Government said Monday it will lease a pair of oriental white storks from Hyogo Prefecture for breeding and eventual release of their offspring into the wild.
So far, Hyogo Prefecture is the only part of Japan where the species has been successfully bred in captivity and released.
The 14-year-old male and 13-year-old female will be sent to a breeding facility in Echizen, Fukui Prefecture, on Dec. 10 from the Hyogo Prefectural Homeland for the Oriental White Stork in Toyooka.
Fukui Gov. Issei Nishikawa said the prefectural government will take a long-range approach to the project so the storks, a designated special national treasure, can make the area their habitat.
The two governments have been talking since last year about expanding the species' natural habitat outside Hyogo Prefecture.