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Japan Times
25-07-2025
- Automotive
- Japan Times
Agency warns of fire risks from lithium-ion batteries
A Japanese independent administrative agency has warned consumers that products powered by lithium-ion batteries, such as portable chargers and handheld fans, are more liable to catch fire during summer. A survey by the National Institute of Technology and Evaluation, or NITE, showed that the number of accidents involving such devices has been increasing in recent years, to 1,860 between 2020 and 2024. Fire accounted for 85% of them. Lithium-ion batteries are vulnerable to heat and impact, making them prone to accidents when temperatures rise. August marked the highest number of accidents, at 228 cases in the five-year period, followed by July, at 212, and June, at 201. By product, portable chargers logged the highest number, at 361 cases. There were 202 accidents involving power-assisted bicycles and 171 for rechargeable power tools. In July 2020, a man in his 50s in Hyogo Prefecture suffered minor burns when a handheld fan made a strange sound and caught fire while it was being charged. In August 2023, a man in his 40s in Kumamoto Prefecture saw his portable charger overheat and ignite after it was left in the driver's seat of his car for hours. If a battery expands or becomes unusually hot, users should immediately stop charging it or using the device powered by it, NITE said. It said that if a battery ignites, users should extinguish the fire with a large amount of water and notify fire authorities after submerging the device if possible. NITE said that the spread of cheap, copycat batteries with insufficient safeguards may be behind the increase in cases of spontaneous ignition. People should check sellers' contact information and any recall notices before buying devices, it said.
Japan Today
20-07-2025
- Japan Today
All Tokyo Yamanote line services briefly suspended due to fire caused by power bank in bag
All train services on the Yamanote loop line in central Tokyo were briefly suspended Sunday afternoon after a fire, likely caused by a power bank in a passenger's bag, left that passenger and four others with minor injuries, police said. Police quoted the passenger, a woman in her 30s, as saying that "the battery became hot when charging my smartphone, and (the phone) caught fire in around 30 seconds," burning her bag. The incident disrupted train traffic in the Japanese capital, affecting around 98,000 people, JR East said. The fire broke out around 4:10 p.m. on a train traveling between Shin-Okubo and Shinjuku stations. All services on the busy loop line were suspended but resumed by around 6:10 p.m. In addition to the woman, who suffered a burn on her finger, four others in their 20s to 50s were injured while trying to evacuate the train. Lithium-ion batteries, commonly used in power banks, can ignite upon physical impact or due to gradual degradation, according to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism. Incidents involving such batteries catching fire tend to increase between June and August, when temperatures are higher, according to the National Institute of Technology and Evaluation. The ministry bans travelers from placing mobile batteries in checked baggage on flights. Starting this month, it is also urging passengers to keep power banks within reach during flights, following a series of incidents involving mobile batteries catching fire onboard. © KYODO
The Mainichi
20-07-2025
- The Mainichi
Fire in carry-on briefly halts Tokyo loop line, power bank suspected
TOKYO (Kyodo) -- All train services on the Yamanote loop line in central Tokyo were briefly suspended Sunday afternoon after a fire, likely caused by a power bank in a passenger's bag, left that passenger and four others with minor injuries, police said. Police quoted the passenger, a woman in her 30s, as saying that "the battery became hot when charging my smartphone, and (the phone) caught fire in around 30 seconds," burning her bag. The incident disrupted train traffic in the Japanese capital, affecting around 98,000 people, JR East said. The fire broke out around 4:10 p.m. on a train traveling between Shin-Okubo and Shinjuku stations. All services on the busy loop line were suspended but resumed by around 6:10 p.m. In addition to the woman, who suffered a burn on her finger, four others in their 20s to 50s were injured while trying to evacuate the train. Lithium-ion batteries, commonly used in power banks, can ignite upon physical impact or due to gradual degradation, according to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism. Incidents involving such batteries catching fire tend to increase between June and August, when temperatures are higher, according to the National Institute of Technology and Evaluation. The ministry bans travelers from placing mobile batteries in checked baggage on flights. Starting this month, it is also urging passengers to keep power banks within reach during flights, following a series of incidents involving mobile batteries catching fire onboard.
Japan Times
30-04-2025
- Science
- Japan Times
Technology institute warns of digital device accidents amid a series of fires
The National Institute of Technology and Evaluation is calling for caution over accidents involving digital devices, following a series of fires caused by foreign objects entering the USB-type charging connectors of digital devices such as laptops. The warning comes as some students interact with electronic devices for the first time under the "giga school" initiative of distributing information devices to every student, especially after a new academic year began this month. According to NITE, a boy sustained a burn in October 2020 when he picked up a tablet he had dropped in a train car. The device's internal battery is believed to have overheated due to the impact of the fall. In January 2023, a fire broke out at an elementary school in Kanagawa Prefecture apparently after a short circuit due to liquids such as juice entering the charging connector of a digital device. There has also been a case in which sparks flew out of a device after a connector was inserted and removed from a port at an angle. According to the education ministry, roughly 19,000 devices distributed under the GIGA school initiative were damaged or lost between April and July 2021. There were many repairs after devices were used in unexpected ways, such as repairs to deal with sand that had entered device connectors. A NITE official emphasized the importance of telling children to consult with adults around them if they notice anything unusual. "Even if it doesn't lead to something serious, it's still dangerous," the official said of accidents. "We hope digital devices will be handled carefully."
