Authorities in Japan have announced a ban on the use of power banks on flights travelling to or from Japan.

Japan’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT) said the rule will apply to all aircraft departing from or arriving to the East Asian country, including those operated by both domestic and internal carriers.

Following the ban, set to come into force in April 2026, you’ll still be able to bring power banks on board, but won’t be permitted to use them until you land.

In 2025, Japan recorded 500,410 visitor arrivals from the UK — meaning this policy has the potential to affect millions of British tourists going forward.

While it’s the first country to crack down on portable chargers, over the past year, the devices have become a major pariah in the aviation space.

Dozens of airlines have adopted stricter regulations regarding their use, with 12 major airline groups having recently introduced bans.

Why are power banks a problem on planes?

If a lithium-ion battery is damaged, misused, or stored improperly, it can short circuit — triggering a process called ‘thermal runaway’ where the batteries start to irreversibly overheat.

The result can be a sudden, violent, and explosive fire.

Concerns about allowing passengers to keep power banks in the cabin initially began to grow following an incident in January 2025, when a portable power bank caused a fire that engulfed and destroyed a passenger plane in South Korea.

First discovered by a flight attendant in an overhead luggage bin, the flames quickly spread throughout the entire cabin. Thankfully, everyone onboard was evacuated safely.

But this wasn’t an isolated incident.

According to the National Institute of Technology and Evaluation in Japan, portable battery chargers caused 123 fires in 2024, an increase of more than 150% from the 47 fires reported in 2020.

Moreover, the Japanese fire agency, stated that by product type, power banks accounted for 30% of the 290 incidents in 2024, followed by power tools at 89 and mobile phones at 85.

While flights pose an exaggerated risk, given the intense pressure, faulty lithium-ion batteries can be lethal in all kinds of environments.

So, with all this in mind, it’s not surprising that more and more government bodies are cracking down on these particularly feisty fire hazards.

How will Japan’s power bank ban impact passengers?

The new ban, due to be introduced in April, will mean that all passengers travelling into and out of the country’s airports will be banned from using power banks onboard.

As part of a wider change to guidelines under the country’s Civil Aeronautics Act, travellers will reportedly be limited to a maximum of two portable chargers per person, not exceeding 160Wh, in carry-on luggage.

Using power outlets to charge any kind of lithium-ion powered device on board will also be prohibited, as will storing them in overhead cabins.

This marks a rather radical change in Japan’s policies, especially given the fact that in July 2025, the country’s transport ministry explicitly permitted the use of power banks if they remained in sight at all times. However, now that’s all a distant memory.

In 2025, the country welcomed a record 42.7 million international arrivals, and although exact numbers for domestic travel aren’t available, Japan Airlines (JAL) alone operates over 130 routes across 64 regional airports.

Essentially, this move could have a major impact.

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Aiden Markram smacked 82 not out off 46 balls as South Africa beat West Indies by nine wickets to maintain their unbeaten record at the 2026 T20 World Cup.

South Africa’s captain struck seven fours and four sixes as South Africa chased 177 with 23 balls to spare to move two points clear at the top of Group 1 in the Super 8s and put one foot in the semi-finals.

The 31-year-old, who brought up his half-century off 27 balls, shared a 95-run opening stand with Quinton de Kock (47 off 24) before the wicketkeeper was removed by Roston Chase in the eighth over. Ryan Rickelton chipped in with a quickfire 45 not out off 28 at number three.

Markram sealed South Africa’s fifth win of the tournament in Ahmedabad with his 11th boundary.

South Africa, finalists in 2024, should have been chasing a significantly lower total after taking four wickets in the powerplay and later reducing West Indies to 83-7.

However, the two-time champions fought back through Romario Shepherd and Jason Holder, who put on 89 (57) for the eighth wicket to drag West Indies beyond 170.

After smacking spinner Keshav Maharaj’s opening over for 17, West Indies, who piled on 254-6 against Zimbabwe in their Super 8 opener on Monday, lost four wickets in 11 balls to slump from 29-0 to 43-4 inside four overs, with Kagiso Rabada and Lungi Ngidi collecting two wickets apiece.

Sherfane Rutherford, who couldn’t capitalise on being dropped on three, Rovman Powell, and Matthew Forde joined the procession back to the dressing room before Shepherd and Holder came together in the 11th over.

After rebuilding steadily, the pair burst into life from the 15-over mark, Shepherd accelerating from 21 (17) to finish unbeaten on 52 (37) and Holder reaching 49 (31) before being run-out off the penultimate ball of the innings.

They added 58 runs off the final five overs, including Holder taking the 18th, bowled by Marco Jansen, for 23.

At least 46 people have been killed in devastating floods which hit the southeastern Brazilian state of ‌Minas Gerais, while thousands have been displaced.

According to the state fire department, 21 people remain ‌missing while about 3,600 people have been displaced by flooding and landslides in the cities of Juiz de Fora and Uba.

The two cities are about 110km (68 miles) apart and some 310 kilometers (192 miles) north of Rio de Janeiro.

Juiz de Fora resident Ricardo Dutra lost his 11-year-old son, Bernardo Lopes Dutra – whose funeral was held on Wednesday after he was killed when the rain caused his house to collapse.

Mr Dutra’s daughter and wife are being treated in hospital.

“I’m trying to pick up the pieces,” he ⁠said, as his city’s streets were covered in mud and authorities feared more landslides.

“It’s a tragedy that no one was expecting,” Mr Dutra added as he described Bernardo as “a boy with a big heart who, in his own way, touched everyone around him”.

Mayor Margarida Salomão said at least 20 landslides had been reported since the torrential rain began Monday evening.

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The Rev. Ananias Simoes, the pastor at the church that Mr Dutra and his family regularly attended in the 560,000-strong city of Juiz de Fora, said the building has been turned into a temporary shelter.

“We’re doing what we can, collecting food, water. We’re in a war situation,” Simoes said.

Dario Tiberio, a 41-year-old truck driver, decided to leave his house along with his family for fear of collapse.

He found refuge at the church, while he waits on authorities to say his home is risk-free.

“There’s a danger that the mud and earth can come and bury us along with the debris. We have this feeling of insecurity,” he said.

Classes were suspended in both Juiz de Fora and the 107,000-strong Uba, their mayors said.

Juiz de Fora’s city hall said in a statement on Wednesday that around 600 families living in endangered areas were about to be relocated to local schools improvised as shelters and that the city experienced double the rain expected for February.

Brazil’s federal government has sped up relief and humanitarian aid to the region, sending health agents and national defence professionals, according to a statement.

“No matter how ⁠hard you try, at some point you feel powerless. You ​witness a situation like this – people trapped in the ​rubble – and there is nothing more you can do, ​your contribution has a limit,” said Nalvan Luiz, a friend of Bernardo ⁠Dutra, at the funeral.

NASA has revealed details of an incident aboard the ISS that prompted the first medical evacuation in the space station’s 25-year history.

On 7 January, astronaut Mike Fincke “experienced a medical event that required immediate attention from my incredible crewmates”, according to a statement by him, which NASA shared online.

“Thanks for their quick response and the guidance of our NASA flight surgeons, my status quickly stabilised”, wrote the astronaut.

NASA decided the safest course of action was to bring him and the other three members of Crew-11 back from the International Space Station so Mr Fincke could have advanced medical imaging, that was not available on the ISS.

“[It was] not an emergency but a carefully coordinated plan,” said Mr Fincke.

The crew, including Mr Fincke and fellow NASA astronaut Zena Cardman, Japanese astronaut Kimiya Yui and Russian cosmonaut Oleg Platonov, splashed down on 15 January after spending five and a half months on the space station.

As well as thanking his crew, NASA and SpaceX’s team and his doctors, Mr Fincke said he is doing “very well and continuing standard post-flight reconditioning” at NASA’s base in Houston.

“Spaceflight is an incredible privilege and sometimes it reminds us just how human we are,” he said.

After the crew splashed down in January, NASA administrator Jared Isaacman said it was a “serious situation” in orbit but that the crew member in question had been safe and stable ever since.

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Moment new astronauts blast off to International Space Station

The evacuation left only three crew members on board the space station – one American and two Russians – and prompted NASA to pause space walks and reduce research output.

They were joined by four new astronauts in February and normal service has resumed.