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5h ago

Japan’s Last Pandas Set to Depart Ueno Zoo for China

Strained ties with Beijing leave prospects for new panda loans uncertain.

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Giant panda Xiao Xiao walks in its enclosure during the final day for public viewing before its departure for China, at Ueno Zoo in Tokyo on January 25, 2026.
Pedestrians pass panda statues in a square near Ueno Zoo in Tokyo, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Louise Delmotte)

Overview

  • Final public viewings were held Sunday at Tokyo’s Ueno Zoo, with a lottery offering 4,400 slots that drew about 24.6 applicants per slot and one‑minute viewing windows.
  • Four‑year‑old twins Xiao Xiao and Lei Lei are scheduled to leave Tuesday for China, which will leave Japan without any giant pandas for the first time since 1972.
  • The twins were born in 2021 to Shin Shin and Ri Ri under China’s loan program, which retains Chinese ownership of pandas and any cubs.
  • Asked about sending replacements, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun welcomed Japanese visitors to see pandas in China but gave no commitment on new loans.
  • Economist Katsuhiro Miyamoto estimates the absence of pandas could cost around 20 billion yen annually, as public enthusiasm and panda‑related tourism have long driven local spending.