Twin pandas at a Tokyo zoo are set to return to China in late January, leaving Japan without a panda for the first time in about 50 years. Officials announced Monday that the twins, Xiao Xiao and Lei Lei, born in 2021, must be returned by February. Their parents were sent back last year. Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara expressed hope that panda diplomacy will continue despite strained relations. China first sent pandas to Japan in 1972. Tensions have risen since Japan's Prime Minister commented on potential military involvement if China acts against Taiwan.
