Xiao Xiao

Xiao Xiao is a male giant panda, one of a pair of twin pandas (along with his sister Lei Lei) born at the Ueno Zoological Gardens in Tokyo. These pandas were the last two giant pandas residing in Japan. They are newsworthy because they were recently returned to China, leaving Japan without any pandas for the first time in approximately 50 years. Their departure occurred on January 27, 2026, ahead of the initially planned schedule, and was marked by emotional farewells from Japanese panda fans. The return of Xiao Xiao and Lei Lei is significant because it reflects the worsening diplomatic relations between Japan and China. Giant pandas have historically been used as symbols of friendship and diplomacy by China, and their return suggests a cooling of ties between the two nations.