Japan announces major ban on flights starting in April

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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