US EditionThe last 2 pandas in Japan are leaving for China as ties are strained
Japan's last two pandas leave amid diplomatic tensions, ending a 54-year tradition; economic losses from no pandas could reach tens of billions of yen, experts warn.
- On Jan 25, 2026, thousands visited Ueno Zoological Gardens for a final viewing of four-year-old giant panda twins Xiao Xiao and Lei Lei, who will leave Japan on Tuesday, ending a decades-long presence.
- The return was announced last month after Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi hinted Japan might intervene militarily if China attacked Taiwan, and prospects for a new panda loan remain uncertain amid soured ties.
- Ueno Zoo ran a competitive online lottery with 4,400 slots and 24.6 times as many applicants, while lottery winners viewed the twins for one minute and many fans queued without tickets.
- The departure will create a cultural and tourism gap with no pandas in Japan as local businesses and souvenir sellers at Ueno worry about lost business and an annual loss of about 20 billion yen, economist Katsuhiro Miyamoto said.
- China's long-standing 'panda diplomacy' frames the twins' story as Xiao Xiao and Lei Lei, born at Ueno in 2021, will undergo quarantine at a receiving facility in Sichuan Province.
104 Articles
104 Articles
Pandas are national celebrities in Japan, and their departure leaves a hole in many hearts.
Many admirers bid farewell Sunday to the two extremely popular pandas of Tokyo Zoo, who are about to return to China.
Commotion and disturbance for thousands of Japanese at the Ueno Zoo, north of Tokyo, after last greeting Xiao Xiao and Lei, the last two giant pandas present in the country, before their return to China scheduled for Tuesday. (ANSA)
The Tokyo Zoo only features these two twin pandas, Lei Lei and Xiao Xiao, both four years old.
A number of admirers and took good, Sunday, from the two extreme populace pandas from the Tokyo Zoo, which are preparing to return to China, missing the archipelago of these symbolic animals for the first time in half a century, inform AFP.
Crowds farewell Japan’s last pandas before return to China amid souring ties
Japanese fans bade a teary farewell to the country’s last two pandas on Sunday ahead of their return to China, in a departure that highlights strained relations between the two countries.
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