Japan Is Officially Banning The Use Of Portable Power Banks On Flights

When touring, energy banks are indispensable, and that is why they’re among the many important devices for frequent flyers. They turn out to be useful to make sure that your units are at all times charged up, so that you could proceed to speak, be entertained whereas on a long-haul flight, or enable you to navigate a brand new place. However, in case you’re planning a flight to Japan any time quickly, your energy financial institution will not be helpful whereas on board.

Recently, the Japan’s Land, Infrastructure, Transport, and Tourism Ministry enacted a brand new coverage that bans the use moveable energy banks on flights into or in a foreign country. As per the brand new coverage, which went into impact on April 24, 2026, the usage of moveable energy banks can not be used on planes: both to cost units or be plugged into the airplane for charging. This coverage might sound harsh, however the ministry made the selection following a number of incidents the place these devices both “caught fire or started releasing smoke inside airplanes,” based on a report by NHK World-Japan.

Japan’s new coverage would not simply prohibit the usage of energy banks and chargers in-flight, but it surely additionally restricts the variety of energy banks you may keep on board to 2. This ban is supposed to make sure passenger security when flying. Last 12 months, Anker recalled over 1,000,000 of its energy banks following a number of incidents of fires and explosions. Most just lately, Casely and the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) issued a recall that affected over 400,000 moveable chargers because of the threat of fireplace. The security threat related to energy banks is the explanation why some airways have independently imposed restrictions on their use whereas on board. 

Finnair introduced in January 2026 that it had banned the usage of moveable chargers in-flight, following within the footsteps of Cathay Pacific, China Airlines, Emirates, EVA Air, Singapore Airlines, Thai Airways, amongst others. Japan’s transport ministry says the brand new restrictions are consistent with the most recent guidelines set by the International Civil Aviation Organization, so it is doubtless that extra airways and authorities companies will comply with go well with.

Despite the brand new restrictions imposed by Japan on the usage of cellular chargers, you may nonetheless take pleasure in utilizing your cellphone with out worrying about operating out of cost. One choice is to pre-charge all of your units earlier than boarding, so there is not a have to prime up earlier than you land at your vacation spot. In this case, having a cellphone with the most effective battery life will definitely assist, as you may proceed utilizing it even on lengthy flights with out operating out of cost. 

But some telephones do have poor battery life and will not maintain up for lengthy durations earlier than shutting down. Even the telephones with the most effective battery life can simply run out of cost in case you do intensive duties like gaming, which devour much more energy than merely browsing the net or watching movies. In that case, carry a cable and make the most of in-seat energy shops in the event that they’re accessible to prime up your cellphone everytime you want.