Takahiro Takauji looks through photos he took of Japan's last remaining pandas, Lei Lei and Xiao Xiao, during an interview at his home in Saitama, Monday, Jan. 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Louise Delmotte)
Takahiro Takauji looks through photos he took of Japan's last remaining pandas, Lei Lei and Xiao Xiao, during an interview at his home in Saitama, Monday, Jan. 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Louise Delmotte)
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Visitors walk past panda-themed items at a souvenir store in Ueno Zoo in Tokyo, Sunday, Jan. 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Louise Delmotte)
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Visitors browse through panda-themed items at a souvenir store in Ueno Zoo in Tokyo, Sunday, Jan. 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Louise Delmotte)
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Panda-shaped buns are displayed for sale at a bakery near Ueno Zoo in Tokyo, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Louise Delmotte)
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Pedestrians pass panda statues in a square near Ueno Zoo in Tokyo, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Louise Delmotte)
SAITAMA, Japan (AP) — Japanese panda fans gathered Sunday for the final public viewing at Tokyo’s Ueno zoo before twins Xiao Xiao and Lei Lei return to China.
Their departure on Tuesday will leave Japan with no pandas for the first time in half a century, and the chances of getting a replacement are poor, with
This is a photo gallery curated by AP photo editors shows how pandas are beloved in Japan.
