Japan Bids Emotional Farewell to Its Last Giant Pandas Amid Rising Tensions with China

Amid escalating diplomatic tensions between Japan and China, Japan is set to bid farewell to its last two giant pandas, a move widely seen as a symbolic sign of deteriorating relations between the two Asian powers.

Tensions intensified recently after Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi stated that Tokyo would militarily intervene if China were to attack Taiwan. Following the remarks, relations between Beijing and Tokyo reportedly hit a new low, raising speculation that China has decided to withdraw its pandas from Japan.

On Sunday, thousands of visitors gathered at a zoo in Japan to bid an emotional farewell to the country’s final pair of giant pandas. The twin panda cubs, Xiao Xiao and Lei Lei, currently housed at Tokyo’s Ueno Zoo, are scheduled to return to China on Tuesday.

An emotional atmosphere prevailed at the zoo as visitors waited for up to three and a half hours in long queues for a final glimpse of the pandas. Many were seen with tear-filled eyes, expressing deep sadness at their departure.

China’s decision to take back the pandas is being viewed as a strong indication of strained bilateral ties. Once the pandas leave, Japan will become panda-free for the first time since 1972, the year when diplomatic relations between China and Japan were normalized and China first sent pandas to Japan as a gesture of goodwill.

Since the establishment of the People’s Republic of China in 1949, Beijing has used giant pandas as symbols of friendship in its foreign relations—a strategy widely known as “panda diplomacy.” However, pandas sent abroad are technically loaned, not gifted. China retains ownership of all pandas, including those born overseas, and host countries reportedly pay around one million US dollars per pair annually.

According to the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, approximately 108,000 people applied for a chance to see the pandas one last time at Ueno Zoo, though only 4,400 visitors were allowed entry.

Speaking to the BBC, one woman who visited the zoo with her son said she had been bringing him there since his early childhood and hoped the visit would remain a cherished memory. Another visitor said watching the pandas grow from infancy had been a joyful experience.

Several photographs from the zoo showed visitors crying as they said goodbye to the beloved panda cubs. Xiao Xiao and Lei Lei, born at Ueno Zoo in 2021, are the offspring of pandas Shin Shin and Ri Ri. They were loaned to Japan as part of a breeding and research program.

In recent years, many pandas have been returned to China as loan agreements—typically lasting 10 years—expire, though extensions are often granted. However, amid rising political tensions, uncertainty now looms over whether China will loan new pandas to Japan in the future.