Giant pandas Lei Lei and Xiao Xiao depart Japan on Jan. 27, ending 50 years of pandas at Ueno Zoo.

Two giant pandas, Lei Lei and Xiao Xiao, will return to China on January 27, 2026, ending a 50-year presence of pandas in Japan. The pair, housed at Ueno Zoo in Tokyo, are departing as part of a bilateral conservation agreement. Their departure marks the end of Japan’s panda program, leaving the country without resident giant pandas for the first time in decades. The pandas will fly from Narita Airport, with their final public viewing day set for January 26. The Tokyo Metropolitan Government cited international cooperation in wildlife conservation as a key reason for the program’s success.