(260127) -- TOKYO, Jan. 27, 2026 (Xinhua) -- Staff members load the logistics crate carrying giant panda Lei Lei onto a truck at the Ueno Zoological Gardens in Tokyo, Japan, Jan. 27, 2026. The last remaining two giant pandas in Japan on Tuesday left Tokyo's Ueno zoo for their return to China, marking the first time that there will be no pandas in Japan in around half a century.
The twin pandas, Xiao Xiao and Lei Lei, were transported by truck from the Ueno Zoological Gardens to Narita Airport, where they were scheduled to board a flight back to China.
Xiao Xiao and Lei Lei were born in 2021 to their mother Shin Shin and her mate, Ri Ri, which were returned to China in September 2024. Their elder sister, celebrity giant panda Xiang Xiang, returned to China in February 2023. (Tokyo Zoological Park Society/Handout via Xinhua)
