Popular twin pandas at a Tokyo zoo to be returned to China, leaving none for 1st time in 50 years
Popular twin pandas at a zoo in Tokyo are set to be returned to China in late January, leaving none in Japan for the first time in around half a century, a source close to the matter said Monday, Kyodo reported.
The deadline for the return of Xiao Xiao and Lei Lei, who have lived at Ueno Zoological Gardens since their birth in 2021, is approaching in February under a bilateral lease agreement between Tokyo and Beijing.
Prospects for another panda loan, seen as a diplomatic symbol of friendship between Japan and China, remain uncertain amid the deteriorating relationship between the Asian neighbors.
In June, all four giant pandas on loan at the Adventure World amusement park in Shirahama, Wakayama Prefecture, departed for China, leaving only the Ueno pair in Japan.
Since the first pair of giant pandas arrived in Japan from China in 1972 to commemorate the normalization of diplomatic ties, the iconic bears have won the hearts of many among the Japanese public and brought economic benefits as tourist attractions.
The female panda, Lei Lei, and her brother, Xiao Xiao, were born to mother Shin Shin and her mate Ri Ri. Both were loaned to Japan for breeding research.
Despite being born in Japan, the twins are owned by China.
The parents Shin Shin and Ri Ri arrived in Japan in February 2011 on loan to Ueno zoo after the facility's previous resident panda, Ling Ling, died in 2008.
The pair were returned to China in 2024. Aside from Lei Lei and Xiao Xiao, they also gave birth to female cub Xiang Xiang in 2017, which returned to China in 2023.
Earlier, it was reported that Japan chose Bear as Kanji of 2025 after surge in attacks.
