Overview
- Ueno Zoo confirmed that Xiao Xiao and Lei Lei will leave for China in late January, with a final public viewing set for January 25.
- Weekday lines have stretched beyond four hours, and staff have stopped accepting new entrants early in the afternoon due to demand.
- Viewing is limited to roughly one minute per visitor, with divided sections and a reservation system to control crowd flow.
- Japanese officials say discussions with China about replacement pandas have stalled, making it likely the country will soon have none for the first time in over 50 years.
- Rising tensions after Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s Taiwan remarks have intensified public and diplomatic pressure, with a Weibo trend declaring that Japan will no longer have pandas.