{"id":243061,"date":"2026-01-17T12:43:10","date_gmt":"2026-01-17T12:43:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/243061\/"},"modified":"2026-01-17T12:43:10","modified_gmt":"2026-01-17T12:43:10","slug":"japan-to-lose-all-of-its-pandas-by-the-end-of-january","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/243061\/","title":{"rendered":"Japan to lose all of its pandas by the end of January"},"content":{"rendered":"

In Ueno, pandas have long been more than an insanely popular zoo<\/a> attraction \u2013 they\u2019re practically the neighbourhood\u2019s unofficial mascots. From souvenir shops selling panda plushies and post boxes featuring panda faces to life-size statues scattered around Ueno and nearby Okachimachi, everything seems to revolve around these clumsy and lovable bamboo-eating furballs.<\/p>\n

\"Japan
\nPhoto: Teerawat Winyarat\/DreamstimeMini pandas at Okachimachi Panda Square <\/p>\n

Unfortunately, the neighbourhood, Tokyo \u2013 and Japan as a whole \u2013 will soon be hit with a significant loss. The Asahi Shimbun<\/a> reports that the two pandas at Ueno Zoo, Xiao Xiao and Lei Lei, are set to be returned to China later this month with no replacement in sight. Born at the zoo in 2021, the duo are the last remaining pandas in Japan; their parents, Li Li and Xin Xin, were returned to China in 2024.<\/p>\n

Originally set for February 2026, the return date for Xiao Xiao and Lei Lei has been brought forward by a month. The move comes against the backdrop of diplomatic tensions between Japan and China, which were heightened following Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi\u2019s recent remarks on Taiwan. The PM said that a Chinese naval blockade of Taiwan would threaten Japan\u2019s \u2018survival\u2019 \u2013 suggesting that Japan could become involved in a potential China-Taiwan conflict.<\/p>\n

Given the strained relations, the chances of new panda loans appear slim. Once Xiao Xiao and Lei Lei depart, Japan will be without pandas for the first time since 1972, when China gifted Ueno Zoo its first pair.<\/p>\n

While reservations for in-person viewing have already closed, fans can still keep tabs on Xiao Xiao and Lei Lei via Ueno Zoo\u2019s panda portal<\/a> until they head \u2018home\u2019.<\/p>\n

More from Time Out Tokyo<\/p>\n

BTS announce Tokyo dates for their comeback tour \u2013 here\u2019s how to get tickets<\/a><\/p>\n

Netflix\u2019s \u2018Squid Game\u2019 is coming to life in Tokyo this January<\/a><\/p>\n

Disney has released its 2026 cherry blossom collection<\/a><\/p>\n

Here’s the official Japan cherry blossom forecast for 2026 \u2013 updated Jan 8<\/a><\/p>\n

Tokyo ranks among the world’s top city brands for tourism<\/a><\/p>\n

Want to be the first to know what\u2019s cool in Tokyo?\u00a0Sign up to our newsletter<\/a>\u00a0for the latest updates from Tokyo and Japan.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"In Ueno, pandas have long been more than an insanely popular zoo attraction \u2013 they\u2019re practically the neighbourhood\u2019s…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":243062,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[26],"tags":[17797,85,46,34023,141,867,386],"class_list":{"0":"post-243061","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-wildlife","8":"tag-categories-things-to-do","9":"tag-il","10":"tag-israel","11":"tag-news-city-life","12":"tag-science","13":"tag-things-to-do","14":"tag-wildlife"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/243061","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=243061"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/243061\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/243062"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=243061"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=243061"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=243061"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}