Trending:Minnepolis ShootingRepublic Day 2026Carney-Macron-DavosWaltz vs TrumpBangladesh cricketBorder 2 reviewTokyo bids farewell to last pandas as Lei Lei and Xiao Xiao return to China amid souring relationsagence france-presse • January 25, 2026, 13:50:20 ISTWhatsapp Facebook TwitterTokyo residents bid an emotional goodbye to Japan’s last two pandas, Lei Lei and Xiao Xiao, who are returning to China amid strained relations between the two countriesAdvertisementSubscribe Join Us+ Follow us On GoogleChoose Firstpost on GoogleGiant panda Xiao Xiao is seen in its enclosure during the final day for public viewing before its departure for China at Ueno Zoo in Tokyo on January 25, 2026. (AP)Panda lovers in Tokyo said goodbye on Sunday to a hugely popular pair of the bears that are set to return to China, leaving Japan without the beloved animals for the first time in half a century. Loaned out as part of China’s “panda diplomacy” programme, the distinctive black-and-white animals have symbolised friendship between Beijing and Tokyo since the normalisation of diplomatic ties in 1972. Some visitors at Ueno Zoological Gardens were left teary-eyed as they watched Japan’s only two pandas Lei Lei and Xiao Xiao munch on bamboo. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS ADThe animals are expected to leave for China on Tuesday following a souring of relations between Asia’s two largest economies.“I feel like seeing pandas can help create a connection with China too, so in that sense I really would like pandas to come back to Japan again,” said Gen Takahashi, 39, a Tokyo resident who visited the zoo with his wife and their two-year-old daughter. More from World Chinese tourist footfall in Japan falls 45% as overall visitor numbers remain high How US is ‘rediscovering’ Japan to check China“Kids love pandas as well, so if we could see them with our own eyes in Japan, I’d definitely want to go.”The pandas’ abrupt return was announced last month after Japan’s conservative premier Sanae Takaichi hinted Tokyo could intervene militarily in the event of any attack on Taiwan. Her comment provoked the ire of Beijing, which regards the island as its own territory. The 4,400 lucky winners of an online lottery took turns viewing the four-year-old twins at Ueno zoo while others gathered nearby, many sporting panda-themed shirts, bags and dolls to celebrate the moment. Quick ReadsView AllMassive winter storm sweeps across US, triggering power outages, travel chaosEU, Vietnam set to elevate ties as European Council President Costa to visit HanoiMayuko Sumida travelled several hours from the central Aichi region in the hope of seeing them despite not winning the lottery.“Even though it’s so big, its movements are really funny—sometimes it even acts kind of like a person,” she said, adding that she was “totally hooked”.“Japan’s going to be left with zero pandas. It feels kind of sad,” she said. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS ADTheir departure might not be politically motivated, but if pandas return to Japan in the future it would symbolise warming relations, said Masaki Ienaga, a professor at Tokyo Woman’s Christian University and expert in East Asian international relations.“In the future…if there are intentions of improving bilateral ties on both sides, it’s possible that (the return of) pandas will be on the table”, he told AFP.(Except for the headline, this story has not beed edited by Firstpost staff.)Follow Firstpost on Google.
