Emotional crowds gathered at Tokyo’s Ueno Zoo to bid goodbye to Japan’s last pandas, whose return to China ends decades of panda diplomacy and leaves the country panda-free for now.
Thousands of emotional visitors thronged Tokyo’s Ueno Zoo on Sunday for a final glimpse of Japan’s last two giant pandas, twin siblings Xiao Xiao and Lei Lei, after news spread that they would soon be sent back to China.
The four-year-old pandas, born at Ueno Zoo in June 2021, are scheduled to return to China by the end of January, with Beijing setting February 20 as the final deadline, according to Reuters. Their departure will leave Japan without a single giant panda for the first time since 1972, closing a chapter that has lasted more than five decades.
From early morning, long queues formed outside the zoo gates. Only visitors selected through a lottery were allowed to enter the panda pavilion, and each was given just one minute to see the animals. That fleeting moment, however, carried deep emotional weight.
Many waved goodbye through tears as the pandas calmly munched on bamboo, playful yet serene, seemingly unaware of the significance of the farewell.
“I’ve been coming here since the time of their parents,” said Machiko Seki, a 54-year-old finance worker. “Today it feels like the end of a family story. The pandas gave me strength and comfort. I came simply to say thank you.”
Even those who failed to secure tickets gathered outside the zoo. Akiko Kawakami, a 49-year-old housewife, said she knew she would not see the pandas. “Still, I came,” she said. “At least I could breathe the same air as them. That alone means a lot.”
Although the decision to return the pandas has long been anticipated under the terms of the loan agreement, their farewell has taken on added significance amid recent strains in China-Japan relations. On Sunday, however, emotion overshadowed politics.
Fans arrived wearing panda-themed hats, bags and accessories, hoping for one last connection. “They may belong to China, but since they were born here, I wanted them to stay in Japan forever,” said Hiroyo Kashio, a hospitality worker, speaking to Reuters.
Giant pandas have played a symbolic role in Japan-China relations since 1972, the year the two countries normalized diplomatic ties and sparked Japan’s first panda boom.
Panda diplomacy and economic stakes
According to Deutsche Welle, China has long used panda diplomacy as a soft power tool, sending the animals to countries with which it seeks closer ties. Since 1984, however, Beijing has retained ownership of all giant pandas, requiring overseas-born cubs to return once loan agreements expire.
In the final days before Xiao Xiao and Lei Lei’s departure, Ueno Zoo limited panda viewing to one minute per visitor and introduced a lottery system to manage overwhelming crowds.
The loss may also have tangible economic consequences. Experts cited by Deutsche Welle estimate that Japan could lose around 20 billion yen annually, largely concentrated in Tokyo’s tourism sector, zoo-related revenue and panda-themed merchandise. If Japan remains panda-free for several years, those losses could grow.
Uncertain future for Japan
Whether new pandas will arrive in Japan remains unclear. China’s Foreign Ministry has adopted a cautious tone. Spokesperson Guo Jiakun said, “I know many people in Japan love giant pandas. We welcome Japanese friends to come to China to see pandas.”
For many in Japan, pandas are more than zoo attractions. They are cultural icons and symbols of postwar reconciliation. Their absence is therefore felt not only as a personal loss, but also as a quiet signal of uncertainty in bilateral relations. While Japanese officials have not ruled out future negotiations, no new panda loan has yet been announced.
From goodwill gifts to strategic tools
Since the founding of the People’s Republic of China in 1949, Beijing has relied on an unlikely but powerful diplomatic asset, the giant panda.
China’s panda diplomacy began during the Cold War. In 1957, under Mao Zedong, Beijing gifted a panda named Ping Ping to the Soviet Union to mark the 40th anniversary of the October Revolution. Two years later, another panda followed. Between 1965 and 1980, China also sent pandas to North Korea, reinforcing ideological solidarity.
The most iconic moment came in 1972, when China sought to normalize relations with the United States. During President Richard Nixon’s historic visit to Beijing, China gifted two pandas, Ling Ling and Hsing Hsing, to Washington. The gesture became a lasting symbol of rapprochement and a turning point in Chinese foreign policy.
In the following years, pandas were sent to countries including Japan, France, the United Kingdom and Spain, consistently framed as envoys of friendship.
From gifts to paid loans
By the early 1980s, declining panda populations forced China to change course. In 1984, Beijing stopped gifting pandas and introduced a loan-based system. Under this arrangement, foreign zoos host pandas for fixed periods, typically ten years, in exchange for fees that can reach one million US dollars per year.
Caring for giant pandas is costly, and many zoos offset expenses through ticket sales and merchandise. Once loan agreements expire, pandas are returned to China’s southwestern regions. Even cubs born abroad are sent back between the ages of two and four to join national breeding and conservation programs.
Pandas, trade and geopolitics
Beyond conservation, panda diplomacy has often aligned with China’s economic and political interests. A 2023 University of Oxford study found that panda loans to countries such as Canada, France and Australia coincided with major commercial agreements, including uranium and other trade deals. Similar patterns have been observed alongside free trade negotiations with Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand.
Pandas have also served as tools of diplomatic signaling during periods of tension. In 2010, China recalled two pandas from the United States after President Barack Obama met the Dalai Lama, a move widely interpreted as political. More recently, in April 2023, China brought back Ya Ya, a panda on loan to a Tennessee zoo, amid worsening US-China relations and domestic criticism over animal welfare.
By late 2024, China had recalled several additional pandas from the United States, temporarily reducing their number there to just four.
A cautious reopening and a lingering absence
Despite past frictions, signs of renewed engagement have emerged. Chinese President Xi Jinping has indicated a willingness to send more pandas to the United States, and a new pair, Bao Li and Qing Bao, is expected to arrive at Washington’s Smithsonian National Zoo later this year. US First Lady Jill Biden described the move as a historic moment.
For Japan, however, the contrast is striking. As other countries welcome new pandas, Tokyo watches its last pair depart.
Standing outside Ueno Zoo, many visitors expressed hope that pandas would one day return. Until then, the empty enclosure will remain a quiet reminder of how a gentle animal, silent, slow and apolitical by nature, can carry immense emotional, economic and diplomatic weight.
