Japan to Ban Use of Power Banks on Airplanes

Jiji Press

17:40 JST, February 19, 2026

TOKYO (Jiji Press) — Japan’s transport ministry plans to ban the use of power banks on airplanes as early as April, it has been learned Wednesday.

The ministry will also limit the number of such portable chargers on board to two per passenger, according to informed sources.

The move follows a series of incidents in which power banks emitted smoke or caught fire during flights, and reflects the International Civil Aviation Organization’s plan to adopt new regulations as early as late March.

In January last year, a fire occurred on a passenger plane at an airport in the southern South Korean city of Busan, believed to have been caused by a power bank igniting inside an overhead compartment.

Since last July, the ministry and airlines have asked passengers to keep their portable chargers accessible, rather than putting them in storage, and to use them in areas where their condition can be monitored at all times.