Lei Lei and Xiao Xiao will be returned to China at the end of January, with their final public viewing scheduled for January 25, ending a continuous Japanese presence of giant pandas that began with animals sent in 1972.Thousands of people crowded Ueno Zoo for one-minute viewing slots as the Tokyo government said the pair must depart by February, a move that will leave Japan without pandas for the first time in more than fifty years.The return has become linked to a diplomatic chill after comments by Sanae Takaichi, and Japanese officials including Minoru Kihara and Ueno curator Hitoshi Suzuki warn that losing panda exhibits will hurt public engagement, conservation partnerships and breeding expertise.