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Japan To Ban In-Flight Use of Power Banks (asahi.com) 48

Posted by BeauHD from the safety-first dept.
Japan will effectively ban the in-flight use of power banks starting in mid-April after a "recent series of alarming incidents," reports the Asahi Shimbun. From the report: Currently, mobile batteries in Japan are classified as "spare batteries" and are prohibited in checked luggage. For carry-on bags, those exceeding 160 watt-hours are banned, while passengers are limited to two units for those over 100 watt-hours. There is no quantity limit for batteries of 100 watt-hours or less. The new rule will limit passengers to a total of two spare batteries, including power banks.

While there is no limit on the number of spare batteries below 100 watt-hours, carrying power banks exceeding 160 watt-hours will remain prohibited. Power banks will be capped at two units regardless of power capacity. Additionally, charging them on board will be prohibited, and it will be "recommended" that passengers not use them at all. As a result, domestic airlines are expected to require passengers to stop using power banks, cementing the effective ban on in-flight use.
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Japan To Ban In-Flight Use of Power Banks

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  • 160Wh is a pretty big power bank. (and they're "limiting" you to TWO?) My "big" bank is 96Wh. Maybe these people are trying to bring miniature "portable power stations" on the flight to run their laptop for hours?

    If the airlines gave the passengers USB (C?) jacks at every seat, there'd be no need for powerbank use on a flight?

    • Re:big limits (Score:5, Informative)

      by AmiMoJo ( 196126 ) on Monday March 02, 2026 @11:35AM (#66018408) Homepage Journal

      Both ANA and JAL offer USB C with power delivery, which can charge or at least maintain laptops. They do say that you should not charge your laptop though, only maintain the battery level. They seem to be most worried about charging, as that is when the battery is most likely to fail catastrophically.

      • Re: (Score:3)

        by tlhIngan ( 30335 )

        Both ANA and JAL offer USB C with power delivery, which can charge or at least maintain laptops. They do say that you should not charge your laptop though, only maintain the battery level. They seem to be most worried about charging, as that is when the battery is most likely to fail catastrophically.

        No, it's about power budget. If you ever used an airline adapter for a laptop, they always disable the charger and have been doing so for decades. Basically they can't afford to have everyone charging their dev

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by AmiMoJo ( 196126 )

          The USB C ports advertise a maximum of 60W via PD, and they say that their AC sockets are 60W maximum as well. It's not outlandish for an aircraft electrical system, and I imagine they have some very solid limiting in place.

        • If you ever used an airline adapter for a laptop, they always disable the charger and have been doing so for decades.

          I've literally never come across a situation where an airline has disabled the charger because of power issues. They disable them at take-off and landing and that's about it (I fly intercontinental about once every 2 months, and local about every other month with a variety of airlines, including JAL).

          Also you're completely wrong about the power budget. The outlets are power limited, you're not plugging your toaster into them, you get 60W max. An aircraft has zero problem supplying every seat with this both

          • I don't know what the limit is, but I've hit it several times. I have a laptop with a 140W charger and every airline I've been on won't take it, but I believe it's due to inrush, not wattage. But those things have to be current limited somehow.

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by mjwx ( 966435 )

        Both ANA and JAL offer USB C with power delivery, which can charge or at least maintain laptops. They do say that you should not charge your laptop though, only maintain the battery level. They seem to be most worried about charging, as that is when the battery is most likely to fail catastrophically.

        Why is it that people think that charging their device is a universal right (not directed at the parent poster)?

        If you can't plan ahead for a flight and arrive at an airport with a fully charged device, start flying airlines that have in seat entertainment or you know, find other ways to keep yourself occupied (books, crosswords, et al.). Anyone whining about not being able to use power banks are the pinnacle of entitlement in our society and need to have a long, hard conversation with themselves.

        Also

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by AmiMoJo ( 196126 )

          Some of these flights are 15+ hours. Personally I like the JAL set-up with USB C and a decent size 4k screen (although their movies aren't 4k). I can plug my devices in, keep them charged, and use the seat-back display to view my own media. They give you a decent amount of leg room too.

    • Maybe these people are trying to bring miniature "portable power stations" on the flight to run their laptop for hours?

      Odd. I distinctly remember being able to rely on the laptop manufacturer for that. Like, two decades ago.

      Then again, I wasn't sitting next to the gaming junkie warming my food with the portable crypto miner armed with dual nVidias and as many power cords getting ready to start a live-stream mid-flight, which you better be able to accommodate according to GenAlphaGen. If you're not showing an in-theatre movie in 4K surround sound, you risk a paltry two-star rating from the customer-turned-influencer base.

      T

    • Mine is 1000 Wh. What is 100 even useful for?

      • How much does that weigh, and what volume ? Google says 10 lbs minimum for NMC chemistry. Probably not something you could actually use in cabin except maybe in first.

        A 100 Wh battery is very useful if you are recharging a phone or tablet.

        On a recent AirAsia flight, not only was charging onboard not allowed, but i was required to remove the battery bank from the overhead compartment, and keep it near my seat. It was a very short flight from Vietnam to Thailand, though, so not a big burden.

  • Most are NCM. Ban NCM. (Score:5, Interesting)

    by drinkypoo ( 153816 ) <drink@hyperlogos.org> on Monday March 02, 2026 @11:21AM (#66018380) Homepage Journal

    IMO there should be an international blanket ban NCM batteries over a trivial size not just because of the fire risk, but because of the cobalt use. Nickel is not something you want to breathe, either. LFPs offer almost the same density as NCMs so this is one of those "making the phone 1mm thinner" things, NCM is no longer an enabling technology.

    LFPs are not just far less likely to combust (although that is true) but they are also far less toxic when they do.

    LFPs are much less vulnerable to thermal runaway, and much easier to extinguish if it happens.

  • The real issue (Score:4, Insightful)

    by wakeboarder ( 2695839 ) on Monday March 02, 2026 @12:07PM (#66018464)

    is the battery banks coming out of China are usually not tested according to international standards. If you look up the saftey marks on the pack, you'll find that they are invalid.

    • Checking the battery to see it is unsafe or untested batteries is not easy for the airline (or consumer). It is easier to have a number. Generally, these batteries should not be used in the home much less an airplane. When picking batteries, I avoid the cheap Amazon ones as the quality and reliability are not good. If they are not hazardous they often do not last; it is cheaper to get a good one that does not have to be replaced every year.

      • It should be pretty easy, if the UL or other equivalent NRTL mark is on the product, then it should be valid. The problem is we allow battery packs from China that are untested to be accessible to consumers and we allow for products with the mark faked to be sold. Typically in the past this was enforced at the retail level. It no longer is, because you can't sue retailers anymore if the products they sell burn your house (or plane) down.

    • Which international standards? Just to be clear most of the safety marks have little to do with the battery itself and mostly to do with basic electrical safety. Usually the only international standards which exist to cover the battery system apply to the big boys which provide 110V or higher power.

      But yes most rubbish from China is just that, rubbish, and the certification isn't worth the ink used to print it.

      • The first one is a saftey mark, for most consumer products it's IEC 62368-1, for batteries it's UL 2054 for the pack there are others for cells and depending on the use.

  • From TFA:

    As a result, domestic airlines are expected to require passengers to stop using power banks, cementing the effective ban on in-flight use.

    I mean really - how big is Japan anyway that you can't cross it on one laptop charge?

    • WTF!? The time to ban them was in the 90s. Now they do it? It is much safer, well known, and we have modern replacements some of which can't practically become a serious threat. Laptops have more power than most every powerbank.

      Solution: fireproof bags and marginally trained staff. Hell, tell the passengers where the bags are and they'll do it. We've had the 90s to engineer the jet fuel away from the floor... other critical parts; well how many accidents or crazy people will even know and be able to burn

      • Are you on some kind od medication?

        • caffeine. limited time. busy and shouldn't be here.

          each sentence backed by many pages of thought condensed down to a single sentence... posted amongst the haptic blabbing; for an audience likely taking a mental break and just passing the time by looking for some emotional validation or an attempt to prod any emotion from dead existence of whatever chore they are supposed to be working on... I don't think I'm much worse than an AI summarizing a dozen pages.

      • Laptops are usually from major manufacturers that don't want to be sued from flaming battery packs so they actually put out a tested and qualified product. That shit power bank you bought from a 'marketplace' is probably shit, you are lucky if the seller is still in business under the same name when it fails.

        Consumer protection laws exist for a reason, and modern global drop shipping - er sorry 'retail' - has circumvented those protections.

      • WTF!? The time to ban them was in the 90s. Now they do it? It is much safer, well known, and we have modern replacements some of which can't practically become a serious threat.

        Personally I think they should go further to limit power banks. There is limited value in allowing them.

        Solution: fireproof bags and marginally trained staff. Hell, tell the passengers where the bags are and they'll do it.

        Commercial airlines already do.

        We've had the 90s to engineer the jet fuel away from the floor... other critical parts; well how many accidents or crazy people will even know and be able to burn those? So rare it's not worth us bothering to talking about it. We let far more people die every year in acceptable risk, even ones we profess to care about preventing.

        Not such a rare problem and only getting worse.
        https://www.faa.gov/hazmat/res... [faa.gov]

        Laptops have more power than most every powerbank.

        The point seems to be making reasonable tradeoffs to mitigate risk rather than eliminating it entirely.

        Hate to think of when they figure out a nutjob can harm more people attacking a bullet train. People wanting to harm society have already found the answer thanks to global media and our desire for outrage porn. (To save you the thought: it's killing children, who are easily concentrated in schools. If you want to change that everybody needs to fake outrage and promote some other target in a way that appeals to a deranged mind. Maybe a bunch of AI virtual Trumps?.)

        TFA is about malfunctioning equipment.

      • The vast majority of powerbanks are cheap garbage purchased from noname suppliers. powerbanks represent about 40% of all battery incidents in the air nowadays followed by vapes, while laptops represent about 10%. Most airlines already have similar bans in place and yes they already have fireproof bags and trained staff to deal with it. Incidentally the issue is not just fire it is also the toxic fumes these things emit when they have thermal run away. It is not about people wanting to harm anyone, it is abo

    • I mean really - how big is Japan anyway that you can't cross it on one laptop charge?

      If you fly from Wakkani to Kagoshima you'll be in the plane for about 6 hours, and that's not the furthest distance you can travel. Combine that with wait times before you get on the plane and there's a good chance you may need to have a power bank with you on your trip, even if you don't use it on the plane.

    • Are there really that many domestic flights in Japan? I thought Japan was the land of the high speed bullet trains?

      • There's a choice in Japan. You can go by road, rail, or air.

        The trip from Tokyo to Osaka is about the boundary point - Shorter than that, the bullet train is faster, longer, the plane is faster.

        You may also consider other factors - There is a bullet train every 10 minutes or so, and you are generally about to jump on the next one - but planes need to be booked in advance. Bullet trains are a bit more comfortable than planes. A plane can often be cheaper - they vary a bit, whereas the bullet train prices are

    • A domestic airline would be one that is headquartered in Japan. A domestic flight would be one that starts and ends within Japan. Domestic airlines often offer international flights, so your point makes no sense.

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by PPH ( 736903 )

        Domestic airlines offering international flights are generally governed by ICAO rules. The same holds true for foreign airlines offering service to/from Japan. JCAB (Japanese equivalent of our FAA) rules apply to domestic flights.

  • Aren't USB ports at the seat pretty common these days? Why aren't people just using these to charge their devices? Save the power bank for your wait at the gate or connecting flight where you might have to wait for the precious few outlets available there.
  • If a power bank has a defective battery it's probably going to thermal run away whether it's in use or not. Either ban them outright or put in some fire mitigation strategies. Perhaps a fire proof box that vents to the outside of a plane that a battery bank can be thrown into if it goes thermonuclear
    • Funny, you made me think of a star trek episode where I think a phaser is going overload and they toss it in some receptacle in the hallway on the ship. Big jolt but everything was fine.

      • Funny, you made me think of a star trek episode where I think a phaser is going overload and they toss it in some receptacle in the hallway on the ship. Big jolt but everything was fine.

        The safety regulations on the Starship Enterprise were due a review. Having phasers at all on a starship is inviting trouble. But if the crew must have access to arms, then they should really be locked away, and only released when the crew needs them. The risk of phasers causing damage to the hull while the ship is somewhere in interstellar space should really have been taken more seriously.

        And arguably, phasers that go into overload and subsequently explode suffer from a design issue.

        • As I recall, it was put into overload by a alien who was trying to kill someone or take out the ship. Don't recall. I think phasers were locked up except those used by security, the guys in red you did not want to be. They inevitably got written off(killed) if they had much time on screen.

          • As I recall, it was put into overload by a alien who was trying to kill someone or take out the ship. Don't recall. I think phasers were locked up except those used by security, the guys in red you did not want to be. They inevitably got written off(killed) if they had much time on screen.

            Ah, ok. I wouldn't want to unfairly cast doubt on those in Starfleet responsible for starship safety.

            Given the all battles and accidents the Enterprise encountered and survived during her voyages, they had extraordinary luck. Fretting about phaser safety is probably not appropriate.

  • Many other airlines have already put this ban in. It is no big deal anymore as "most" airlines have USB or power outlets for charging now

    • Many other airlines have already put this ban in. It is no big deal anymore as "most" airlines have USB or power outlets for charging now

      I would generally take a mobile battery on a plane for use at the destination, not during the flight. As you say, planes will often have power outlets, and the internal battery will generally last the flight anyway.

      If they are banning large power banks, then I wonder how a person with a genunine need for such a device, would be able to take it. e.g. I understand that one use of large power banks is on camping trips. So if you were planning a camping trip at the other end of your flight, but weren't permitte

  • Like in my iPhone 12 mini. :( So, we will have to keep our batteries at home and rent batteries after landing from our flight trips?

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