Thousands visited Tokyo’s Ueno Zoo to see twin pandas Xiao Xiao and Lei Lei before they return to China next month, marking the first time in over 50 years Japan will be without a panda.

Their last public viewing will be on January 25, but tensions between Japan and China make the arrival of replacements uncertain.

The four-year-old pandas were born in Tokyo in 2021 but remain property of China, which loans them as a diplomatic gesture.

Relations between the countries have soured following Japan’s comments on Taiwan and recent Chinese military drills near southern Japan, ABC News has reported.

Visitors queued for hours to see the twins one last time amid worries that worsening ties could accelerate their departure.