Starting from tomorrow, Shin Shin and her companion Ri Ri will be given a bit of alone time at Ueno Zoo after she began exhibiting signs that she was ready to procreate.
"Shin Shin is moving around more often and bleating like a sheep, a sign that it is mating season," the spokeswoman said.
"The two have good chemistry and we all hope the couple will bear a healthy new baby," she said.
However, the baby bear died from pneumonia a short time later, an event that provoked newsflashes on national television.
Despite the weight of public expectations, last year's mating season was unsuccessful.
Pandas, whose natural habitat lies in mountainous southwestern China, have a low reproductive rate and are under pressure from factors such as habitat loss.