Fans bid farewell to Japan's only pandas

Tokyo: 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 b...

Tokyo: 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.

The animals are expected to leave for China on Tuesday following a souring of relations between Asia's two largest economies.Giant panda Xiao Xiao walks in its enclosure during the final day for public viewing before its departure for China, at Ueno Zoo in Tokyo on January 25, 2026. Panda twins Lei Lei and Xiao are set to return to China on January 27, leaving Japan without a panda for the first time since the two Asian giants normalised the diplomatic ties in 1972. (Photo by Philip Fong / AFP)

"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.