Japan's Last Giant Pandas Depart for China

Hundreds of emotional fans gathered outside Tokyo's Ueno Zoo on Tuesday to bid farewell to the country's last two giant pandas, four-year-old twins Xiao Xiao and Lei Lei, as they departed for a breeding facility in China, marking the first time Japan has been without the animals in more than 50 years.

The pandas, born at the zoo in June 2021 to loaned parents Shin Shin and Ri Ri, were transported by truck to Narita Airport amid chilly winter weather. Spectators, many dressed in panda-themed hats, jackets and badges, waved flags and held up smartphones to capture the moment as the windowless vehicle left the gates. The twins' mother, Shin Shin, had returned to China in 2024 due to health issues, leaving Xiao Xiao and Lei Lei as Japan's sole remaining giant pandas after others at a Wakayama Prefecture park departed the previous year.

The departure, planned under the terms of China's panda loan program, occurs just before the animals' agreement expires in February. Giant pandas, native to China and owned by the Beijing government even when born abroad, have been a fixture in Japanese zoos since 1972, when the first pair arrived following the normalization of diplomatic ties between...