Tokyo Metropolitan Government plans to return the giant pandas 'Lili' and 'Xingxing' at Ueno Zoo to China by the end of next month, Kyodo News reported on the 30th.
The male Lili and female Xingxing are the father and mother of 'Xiangxiang,' who was returned to China last February.
Xiangxiang, born at Ueno Zoo in June 2017, gained great popularity among Japanese people, with over 60,000 applicants for the final public event.
The event attracted large crowds, and some visitors were even moved to tears, becoming a hot topic.
Lili and Xingxing were loaned from China by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government in 2011 for "breeding academic research" purposes and are currently 19 years old.
According to Kyodo News, Tokyo Metropolitan Government cited reasons such as their advanced age and declining condition for deciding to return them.
Ueno Zoo currently has four pandas, including these two, as well as Xiangxiang's younger siblings, the twins 'Xiaoxiao' and 'Leilei,' born in 2021.
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