Ueno Zoo Sends Last Pandas Xiao Xiao and Lei Lei Back to China
Tokyo’s Ueno Zoo will send twin cubs Xiao Xiao and Lei Lei back to China, leaving Japan without pandas for the first time in more than 50 years.
Overview
Tokyo's Ueno Zoo said it will send twin cubs Xiao Xiao and Lei Lei back to China on Tuesday, ending a presence of pandas in Japan that dates to 1972 and leaving the country without pandas for the first time in more than five decades, zoo officials said.
The departure highlights deteriorating ties after Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's November remark that a Chinese invasion of Taiwan could prompt Japanese intervention, which Beijing publicly criticized and followed with trade and travel measures, officials said.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said "we welcome Japanese friends to come visit them in China" when asked about future loans, while Ueno Zoo director of animal care and exhibits Hitoshi Suzuki said staff hope to continue conservation and breeding cooperation.
The twins were born at Ueno in 2021 to mother Shin Shin and father Ri Ri, their parents were returned to China in 2024, and Katsuhiro Miyamoto, an economics professor at Kansai University, estimated the zoo could lose about 20 billion yen ($128 million) in annual revenue without pandas.
Prime Minister Takaichi has scheduled a Feb. 8 election and Japan's top government spokesperson Minoru Kihara acknowledged that the Japanese consulate in Chongqing has been without a consul because China delayed approval, and officials said prospects for new panda loans are uncertain and marked by conflicting accounts from Tokyo and Beijing.
Analysis
Center-leaning sources frame the story by blending human-interest imagery with geopolitical context: they use evaluative terms like "strained" and "lowest point", foreground fan anecdotes and souvenir-economy impacts, and prioritize diplomatic background (PM remarks on Taiwan, delayed consul) to link the pandas’ departure to broader Japan–China tensions.
Sources (3)
FAQ
The twins will depart on Tuesday after the final public viewing on Sunday, January 25, with the agreement running through February 20.
The zoo could lose about 20 billion yen ($128 million) in annual revenue without pandas, affecting tourism, souvenir sales, and neighborhood foot traffic.
Strained Japan-China ties, due to Japanese Prime Minister Takaichi's remarks on potential intervention in a Taiwan invasion, have led to criticism from Beijing and uncertainty over future panda loans.
The twins, born in 2021 at Ueno Zoo, are the cubs of mother Shin Shin and father Ri Ri, who were returned to China in 2024.[2]
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun stated that giant pandas are loved in Japan and welcomed Japanese friends to visit them in China, without confirming new loans.
History
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