Japan’s Last 2 Giant Pandas at Ueno Zoo to Leave for China on Jan. 27 with Last Public Viewing on Jan. 25

The Yomiuri Shimbun

12:21 JST, January 20, 2026

The twin pandas at Ueno Zoo in Taito Ward, Tokyo, will leave the zoo for China next Tuesday, according to the Tokyo metropolitan government.

The 4-year-old pandas, male Xiao Xiao and female Lei Lei, are set to be airlifted to Sichuan Province, China.

The final public viewing for the pair ends at 4 p.m. on Sunday.

The metropolitan government said that 311,500 people applied for 48,400 slots available via lottery from Jan. 14 to Sunday, with the applicant-to-slot ratio for the last day reaching 24.6.