Tokyo's Ueno Zoo bid farewell to its last giant pandas, Xiao Xiao and Lei Lei, as they departed for China on Tuesday. Hundreds of fans braved the winter cold to say goodbye, marking the first time Japan has been without pandas since 1972.
The four-year-old twin giant pandas, Xiao Xiao and Lei Lei, born at Tokyo's Ueno Zoo in June 2021, had been the garden's top attraction since their parents returned to China in 2024. On Tuesday, around 1:25 p.m., the pair were placed in transport cages and loaded onto a truck bound for Narita Airport. Although public viewing ended on Sunday, a large crowd gathered, braving the cold in panda hats and waving flags while recording the moment on smartphones. Ueno Zoo director Yutaka Fukuda said, 'Xiao Xiao and Lei Lei have been beloved by so many people, and so my feelings are complicated. I feel gratitude and also anticipation at the possibility of future breeding endeavors, but I also feel sadness at their departure.' The pandas are scheduled to depart Narita Airport Tuesday night and arrive at a conservation and research center in Sichuan Province, China, on Wednesday. This marks the first time Japan has been without giant pandas since October 1972, when Kang Kang and Lan Lan arrived following the normalization of diplomatic ties with China. The departure is viewed as a reflection of deteriorating China-Japan relations, particularly after Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's November statement that a hypothetical Chinese attack on Taiwan could prompt a Japanese military response, drawing fury from Beijing, which claims the island as its territory. In panda diplomacy, China has historically loaned the animals to allies and sometimes recalled them to signal displeasure. Native to China, giant pandas typically return home after loan agreements end, with no exceptions for cubs born abroad.
