Japan has just announced that they will be banning the use of and possession of all power banks on national and international flights out of the country. This comes after a defective power bank caused a fire on a Air Busan flight.
What have the Japanese government proposed?
Japan have now enforced a law that from April onwards, passengers onboard Japanese-bound or originating planes cannot use power banks to charge smartphones, nor can the power outlets behind the seats be used to charge them. This will be enforced on both domestic and international flights, and all Japanese carriers, including flagship carriers, Nippon Airways and Japan Airlines will be forced to adopt the rule. They can, however, be used in land luggage.
Passengers have been reminded that they should aim to fully charge their devices before boarding the plane, or bring USB chargers that can directly be plugged into the INF consoles or seat-back sockets.
What is the cause of danger in power banks?
The main cause of the incidents comes from the lithium ion found in most power banks, which can also be found in some variations of laptops. The combined pressure from the increased altitude can cause damaged batteries to implode within themselves, causing hazards onboard an airborne plane.
The incident in Air Busan was caused by a damaged power bank which accidentally caught fire mid-air and engulfed a plane in South Korea in January 2025. Their neighbouring country is now implanting these rules to protect devices and aircraft, but most of all, passenger’s lives.
Will you be flying to or from Japan this year under the new rules? Let us know in the comments.
