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From Jan 28th 2026 –

“For the first time in 54 years there are no pandas in Japan. It is a sign of worsening relations with China.

On January 25th tearful crowds bade farewell to Xiao Xiao and Lei Lei, twin pandas at Tokyo’s Ueno Zoo. Some 110,000 people applied for 4,400 viewing spots. Many who missed out went along anyway, waving flags that read “Thank you, Xiao and Lei.”

For the first time in 54 years Japan is without pandas. In a country where they have cult status, their absence is hard to ignore. It is also emblematic of cooling relations with China. The country’s panda diplomacy dates to 1972, when China gave Japan its first pair to mark the normalisation of diplomatic ties. The animals sparked a craze. Since then, dozens have lived in Japanese zoos. “Pandas have been the face of this place for over 50 years,” says Kaneko Mikako, a deputy director of Ueno. “It’s sad that this chapter is ending.”

Officially, Xiao Xiao and Lei Lei left because their loan expired. But “if relations were good, China would have sent replacements straight away,” reckons Maeshima Kazuhiro of Sophia University in Tokyo. At the end of last year Takaichi Sanae, Japan’s prime minister, suggested Japan might intervene militarily if there were trouble over Taiwan. China furiously suspended seafood imports from Japan and restricted exports of dual-use goods. Meanwhile, South Korea looks poised to receive new pandas following a cordial meeting between the two countries’ presidents.

When—or if—pandas will return to Japan is unclear. Ms Takaichi’s stance seems to have buoyed her ratings; she is unlikely to back down over a few fluffy cubs. Among voters, too, love for pandas doesn’t always extend to China. “I adore pandas, but China scares me,” admits Matsui Saeko, a zoo visitor. One poll in 2024 showed that nearly 90% of Japanese have negative views of China. For now, though Ueno’s panda house sits empty, zookeepers hope to keep the memory of Xiao Xiao and Lei Lei alive with paw prints and replicas of their droppings.”