Japan’s five-decade chapter of hosting giant pandas officially closed on Wednesday, January 28, 2026, as the nation’s last two specimens embarked on their journey back to their ancestral homeland. The departure of Xiao Xiao and Lei Lei from Tokyo’s Ueno Zoo marks a significant milestone in Sino-Japanese panda diplomacy that began in 1972.
The young pandas, both born in 2021 to parents Shin Shin and Ri Ri (who returned to China in September 2024), arrived at Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport in Sichuan province at approximately 1:00 AM local time. Following arrival procedures, the animals were transported to the specialized Ya’an base of China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda, where they will undergo standard quarantine protocols before integration into the conservation program.
This repatriation represents the culmination of Japan’s panda conservation partnership with China, which has seen multiple generations of the endangered species hosted in Japanese zoos. The program has served both conservation purposes and as a symbol of diplomatic relations between the two nations. Chinese wildlife officials confirmed the animals’ condition as stable following the transport, with specialized caretakers accompanying the pandas throughout their journey.
The return follows established protocols under China’s panda conservation loans, where overseas-born pandas typically return to participate in breeding programs that maintain genetic diversity. Wildlife experts emphasize that such controlled exchanges remain crucial for the species’ long-term survival, despite the emotional significance attached to individual animals by host countries.