Beijing: Giant pandas Xiao Xiao and Lei Lei arrived in China’s Sichuan province early on Wednesday, marking the end of an era for Japan, which has hosted Chinese pandas continuously since 1972.
Their return leaves Japan without a single panda for the first time in more than five decades, a symbolic moment that comes amid strained relations between the two neighbours.
The twin pandas landed at Chengdu’s Tianfu International Airport shortly after midnight before being transported to the China Conservation and Research Centre for the Giant Panda in Ya’an.
They are currently in quarantine, officials said. Images released by the centre showed the pandas’ crates being unloaded from a Sichuan Airlines aircraft and carefully moved under the supervision of staff in protective suits.
Born in 2021 at Tokyo’s Ueno Zoo, Xiao Xiao and Lei Lei quickly became major attractions, drawing large crowds and widespread affection. Their departure followed emotional farewell scenes in Tokyo, where fans gathered to see them one last time. The twins’ parents, Shin Shin and Ri Ri, had already returned to China in 2024, making the pair the final pandas in Japan.
China traditionally loans pandas to other countries as part of long-term cooperation agreements, with most animals returning home once the term ends. Pandas born overseas are typically sent to China between the ages of two and four to join breeding programmes. Chinese officials said the twins had played a positive role in fostering goodwill between the people of China and Japan.
Japan first received pandas after the two countries normalised diplomatic relations in 1972, making them a lasting symbol of friendship. Their return, while planned well in advance, coincides with a low point in bilateral ties, which have been strained by disagreements over security and regional issues.
Panda exchanges have long been seen as a reflection of China’s diplomatic mood. In recent years, improving ties with the United States and Australia were followed by fresh panda offers, while South Korea may now be the next focus of such outreach. During a January summit, leaders from China and South Korea agreed to begin talks on panda cooperation as relations show signs of recovery.
For now, Xiao Xiao and Lei Lei have begun a new chapter in their ancestral home, while their absence leaves a noticeable void in Japan’s zoos and a reminder of how closely pandas and diplomacy have been intertwined for decades.
