Japan’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT) signalled stricter cabin rules for portable power banks following international lithium-battery incidents. Japan Airlines (JAL) published a passenger notice describing scheduled changes from mid-April 2026: a limit on how many power banks each passenger may bring, a per-unit watt-hour ceiling, and prohibitions on using aircraft power to recharge power banks or using power banks to charge other devices during the flight. Other Japanese carriers typically align with MLIT guidance — confirm on your airline before travel.
Reported requirements (check JAL’s page for final wording)
- Quantity — Up to two power banks per passenger (as communicated for the mid-April 2026 rollout).
- Energy per unit — Each power bank is typically limited to 160 Wh or less (confirm on JAL’s official notice in case of updates).
- Onboard behaviour — Do not charge a power bank from the aircraft’s outlets or USB, and do not use a power bank to charge phones, tablets, or other devices while on board, per JAL’s 2026 advisory.
- Carry-on — Power banks remain spare lithium batteries: keep them in hand baggage, never in checked luggage.
Planning a trip to or from Japan
If you connect on JAL, ANA, or a regional Japanese carrier, read the English dangerous-goods or battery page for your operating airline the week of travel. MLIT-driven updates can roll out on slightly different dates per carrier.
Sources: JAL — Scheduled changes (power banks, from mid-April 2026) · IATA — Passenger lithium battery summary