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Govt Mulls Mandating Mobile Battery Recycling to Retrieve Rare Metals

Yomiuri Shimbun file photo
Heated tobacco products and lithium-ion batteries found in collected waste in Tokyo

The Yomiuri Shimbun

13:02 JST, November 2, 2025

The government is considering making it mandatory to recycle mobile batteries from fiscal 2026.

The move is aimed at promoting the recovery of rare metals contained in the lithium-ion batteries and preventing fires.

In addition to the batteries, the Economy, Trade and Industry Ministry and the Environment Ministry have started to consider adding three items — portable power sources, heated tobacco products and electronic cigarette equipment — to a mandatory recycling list, part of a law to promote the recycling of small electronic equipment.

The law, enacted in 2012, is aimed at ensuring that rare metals are retrieved from smartphones, digital cameras, game consoles and other devices. Such retrieval requires about 60 highly skilled recycling companies across the country to work with municipalities to collect and recycle relevant items.

The ministries will exchange opinions with the businesses and local governments before adding the new items to the list.

Local governments and others have raised concerns over a risk of fire caused by lithium-ion batteries, which are found in multiple devices in addition to mobile batteries. Discarded batteries are usually incinerated or disposed of in landfills, but there are many cases in which they are improperly stored.

A device that detects abnormalities in the batteries and fire extinguishing equipment are said to be essential for ensuring that such recycling is conducted properly. The government plans to provide the businesses with subsidies to encourage the installation of that equipment.

Mobile batteries, mobile phones and heated tobacco products are also set to be added to a different list — “specified resource-recycled products” — which is part of a law for promoting the effective utilization of resources. The additions will make it mandatory for manufacturers and importers to collect and recycle the items when the revision comes into effect in April 2026.