Giant pandas Xiao Xiao and Lei Lei arrived in Sichuan province on Wednesday (Jan 28), marking the first time Japan has been without pandas since 1972, the China Conservation and Research Centre for the Giant Panda announced on social media. Their departure comes at a time of strained Sino-Japanese relations.
The twin pandas landed at Chengdu’s Tianfu International Airport at 1 a.m. and were transported to the research centre in Ya’an, Sichuan, by 6 a.m., where they will undergo quarantine. Born in Tokyo’s Ueno Zoo in 2021, Xiao Xiao and Lei Lei had been a major attraction since their parents, Shin Shin and Ri Ri, returned to China in 2024. Their farewell drew emotional crowds at the zoo.
China has long used pandas as a diplomatic tool, lending them to other countries to cement ties or signal discontent. Pandas born overseas, like Xiao Xiao and Lei Lei, generally return to China between the ages of two and four to join breeding programs.
Photos shared by the research centre showed the pandas’ crates being unloaded from a Sichuan Airlines plane and carefully transferred to a truck, with staff in protective suits overseeing the operation. The centre said the pair had “made a positive contribution to promoting friendship between the peoples of the two countries.”
Japan has hosted Chinese pandas since the two nations normalized relations in 1972. Their departure, while long planned, comes amid diplomatic tension. In November, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi warned Japan would respond militarily if China attacked Taiwan. Beijing, which considers Taiwan part of its territory, reacted angrily, advising citizens against traveling to Japan.
Panda diplomacy has historically mirrored diplomatic trends. In 2023, Ya Ya was returned to China from the U.S. after a spy balloon incident, only for China to later offer pandas to Washington as a sign of warming ties. Similarly, Beijing sent pandas to Australia in 2024 following a trade dispute.
South Korea could be the next stage for China’s panda diplomacy. In January, Chinese President Xi Jinping and South Korean President Lee Jae Myung agreed to initiate panda talks, as Lee sought a full restoration of bilateral relations.
For Japan, the departure of Xiao Xiao and Lei Lei is a symbolic gap at a sensitive moment, underscoring how pandas continue to play a unique role in China’s international strategy.
