Japan to go panda-less as Ueno zoo pair set for China return in January

Popular twin pandas at a Japanese zoo will be returned to China in late January, a move that will leave Japan without any pandas for the first time in around half a century and disappoint much of the public, the Tokyo metropolitan government said Monday.The last day of public viewing of Xiao Xiao and his sister Lei Lei at Ueno Zoological Gardens, where they have lived since birth in 2021, will be Jan. 25. The deadline for the pair's return to China is approaching in February under a bilateral lease agreement.Prospects for another panda loan, seen as a diplomatic symbol of friendship between…READ FULL ARTICLE