Hundreds of panda fans gathered in Tokyo on Tuesday to bid an emotional farewell to Japan’s last two giant pandas, Xiao Xiao and Lei Lei, as the four-year-old twins left Ueno Zoo for China.
Spectators braved winter cold, many wearing panda hats and waving flags, capturing the departure on their smartphones as a truck transported the beloved animals to Narita Airport. The pandas are headed to a breeding facility in China, leaving Japan without any giant pandas for the first time in more than five decades.
Panda fans gather to see off twin pandas Xiao Xiao and Lei Lei before a truck transporting them departs from Ueno Zoo for their planned return to China, in Tokyo, Japan, January 27, 2026. REUTERS/Issei Kato
“Xiao Xiao and Lei Lei have been beloved by so many people, and so my feelings are complicated,” said Ueno Zoo director Yutaka Fukuda. “I feel gratitude and also anticipation at the possibility of future breeding endeavors, but I also feel sadness at their departure.”
The twins, born at Ueno Zoo in June 2021, had been the star attraction since their parents left in 2024. Their move has long been planned but is also seen in the context of strained China-Japan relations. In November, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi suggested a potential military response to a hypothetical Chinese attack on Taiwan, prompting strong criticism from Beijing.
Panda fans gather as they see off a truck transporting twin pandas Xiao Xiao and Lei Lei as they depart from Ueno Zoo for their planned return to China, in Tokyo, Japan, January 27, 2026. REUTERS/Issei Kato
China has historically used pandas as a form of “panda diplomacy,” loaning the animals to countries to signal goodwill and sometimes recalling them to convey displeasure. Cubs born overseas, like Xiao Xiao and Lei Lei, typically return to China once the loan agreement ends.
Giant pandas first arrived in Japan from China in 1972, following the normalization of diplomatic ties, and have since remained a symbol of friendship and fascination for Japanese citizens. The departure of Xiao Xiao and Lei Lei marks the end of an era at Ueno Zoo, though hopes for future breeding collaborations remain.
