The Power Bank Ban: Why Japan is Banning Chargers on Flights Starting Tomorrow

Beginning tomorrow, April 24, 2024, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport, and Tourism (MLIT) Japan is implementing some of the toughest battery rules in aviation history. After a worldwide epidemic of lithium-ion fire incidents, with a 160 percent rise in the number of battery fires in the past two years, Japan is transitioning to hard bans instead of recommendations.

Any of the following flying may attract heavy fines or confiscation of their devices: you are flying to, from, or within Japan during the 2026 Golden Week or later, and your habitual travelling activities have been identified now.

The New “No Use” Policy

It’s not so much what you carry, but the manner in which you utilize it. Starting tomorrow, it is forbidden to use a power bank on the flight.

1. No Charging Devices: You will not be able to charge your phone, tablet, or laptop in the cabin with a portable charger.
2. No Charge the Bank: You can not charge the battery in the aircraft’s USB ports or seat outlets by plugging your power bank.
3. Active Monitoring: Power banks should always be kept in your carry-on bag under the seat, and should never be kept in the overhead bin, where you will not be able to easily check whether they are getting too hot.

The 3 Specs That Will Get Your Device Confiscated

Haneda, Narita, and other Japanese hubs are being refined to have security checkpoints that act as flags to devices that do not comply with the new Rule of Three. When your charger touches any of these, it probably will be confiscated:

The “Dual-Unit” Limit

Now you can have no more than two power banks each. When you are carrying over three chargers in your carry-on, the additional ones will be seized at the security point. It is important to note that this limit is on spare batteries/power banks and not on the built-in batteries of your phone or laptop.

The 160Wh Capacity Hard Cap

Any power bank that has a capacity of more than 160 Watt-hours (Wh) is now completely out of flying. To check the power bank capacity in Wh use the given below method.

Most of the power banks will show an mAh label. To convert it into Wh, you need to multiply mAh with voltage and divide it by 1000. 

For example, a massive 50,000mAh bank at 3.7V. So you need to multiply 50,000mAh with 3.7V and divide the obtaining answer with 1000 to get Wh. In this case Wh will be 185Wh, which is now a prohibited item.

Missing or Unreadable Labels

In case the capacity label in your power bank is torn out, scratched, or lost, security will consider it a high-capacity risk. The device would be seized as the safe range cannot be checked without a definite label from the manufacturer that specifies whether the Wh or mAh/Voltage.

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Penalties for Non-Compliance

These new transport safety laws are not seen as a trifling recommendation by Japan, and the repercussions of not acting are dire. Breaking these regulations may lead to sealing and unfreezing of your gadget at the security checkpoints. In addition to property loss, travelers could be subject to expensive fines amounting to up to ¥1 million, which is about 6,500 USD. In the worst scenario, the perpetrators might even be prosecuted and sentenced to a prison sentence to a maximum of two years in prison as per the stringent stipulations of the Civil Aeronautics Law.

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