The Tokyo Metropolitan Government has announced that the twin giant pandas at Ueno Zoological Gardens will be returned to China by the end of next month, leaving Japan without the iconic animals for the first time since 1972, according to NHK.
The four-year-old pandas, Xiao Xiao and Lei Lei, are required to be returned by February 20, 2026. However, following discussions with Chinese authorities, the metropolitan government confirmed that the pandas will be sent back by January 31, 2026.
A 30-day quarantine period will begin at the zoo on December 27, ahead of their return. Visitors will be able to see the pandas for the final time on January 25, when the quarantine ends.
Officials said the early return is due to the readiness of a Chinese facility to receive the animals. Meanwhile, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government has requested that China loan new pandas, but has yet to receive an official response from Beijing.
Earlier this year, a female panda at Kobe’s Oji Zoo died in March 2024, while four others at a theme park in Wakayama Prefecture were returned to China in June. The Ueno pair are now the last remaining giant pandas in Japan.
Japan will be without giant pandas for the first time since they were first introduced from China in 1972 to mark the normalization of diplomatic relations between the two countries.
