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July 24, 2026
 

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BATTERIES

Mobile power banks were the products most frequently responsible for fire or smoke incidents involving lithium-ion batteries.
51³Ô¹ÏÍø
Jul 4, 2026
Lithium battery fires hit record high in Japan in fiscal 2025
Mobile power banks were the products most frequently responsible for fire or smoke incidents involving lithium-ion batteries, followed by heated tobacco products.
Batteries for electric vehicles at a Gotion High-tech Co. plant in Hefei, China
BUSINESS / Tech
May 12, 2026
China¡¯s green tech firms target new consumers hit by 51³Ô¹ÏÍø energy shock
Chinese manufacturers of electric vehicles, batteries and solar panels have been wooing nations looking to wean themselves off costly fuel imports.
SoftBank will partner with South Korea¡¯s Cosmos Lab and DeltaX to enable mass production of large-scale battery cells from the fiscal year starting next April.
BUSINESS / Companies
May 11, 2026
SoftBank plans to make large-scale batteries for AI data centers
SoftBank Corp. will partner with South Korea¡¯s Cosmos Lab and DeltaX to enable mass production from the fiscal year starting next April, the firm said.
An agrivoltaic crop, in which solar panels are raised about 3 meters off the ground so that agricultural machinery can freely operate on the crops underneath, in Sosa, Chiba Prefecture.
ENVIRONMENT / Energy / OUR PLANET
May 3, 2026
As 51³Ô¹ÏÍø sends oil prices soaring, some see fresh potential for solar in Japan
While megasolar projects are facing headwinds at the government level, some see renewed potential for solar sharing and smaller-scale, off-grid systems.
A CATL sodium-ion battery model. Sodium-based batteries have become more appealing with advances in energy density, which mean they¡¯re now capable of powering vehicles.
BUSINESS / Tech
Apr 24, 2026
Laps of icy roads in China show sodium batteries making an EV breakthrough
The innovation has long promised to deliver safer and low-cost rechargeable cells compared to lithium batteries.
Softbank Corp. CEO and President Junichi Miyakawa
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 24, 2026
SoftBank prepares to manufacture batteries for AI data centers
The Tokyo-based group is one of the world¡¯s foremost supporters of AI, having committed hundreds of billions of dollars to investment in data centers, cloud services and startups.
A battery from a third-party company for an electric-assist bicycle catches fire during an experiment.
51³Ô¹ÏÍø
Apr 22, 2026
Caution urged in Japan when using secondhand products amid safety risks
Accidents involving secondhand products have risen alongside more people using flea market apps to save money as consumer inflation continues.
Batteries on display at the Canton Fair in Guangzhou, China, on April 15
BUSINESS / Tech
Apr 20, 2026
Cheap batteries are taking over the world¡¯s power grids
If fuel disruptions persist, the pivot to batteries could gain further momentum.
Under the new rules, each passenger will be allowed to bring no more than two power banks in their carry-on baggage, each with a capacity of 160 watt-hours or less. Using the devices aboard planes will be prohibited.
51³Ô¹ÏÍø
Apr 14, 2026
Japan to restrict power banks on flights from April 24
Charging the batteries and using them to charge electronic devices such as smartphones during flights will be prohibited.
A newly built and yet to open Tesla Supercharger station in Lost Hills, California, on Feb. 5
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change
Feb 25, 2026
What Trump¡¯s new tariffs mean for climate tech
The Supreme Court¡¯s recent ruling is good news for companies like Tesla, which have seen production costs soar since last.
Passengers will still be able to bring two power banks on flights, just not use them.
51³Ô¹ÏÍø
Feb 18, 2026
Japan set to prohibit use of power banks on flights
Portable batteries have caught fire and emitted smoke on flights globally.
A Nissan Leaf EV car and portable battery on display at Nissan Gallery in Yokohama. The Japanese auto industry is currently trying to come up with ways to ensure that used electric vehicle batteries are recycled and reused within the country.
BUSINESS
Jan 10, 2026
Battery recycling key to further spread of EVs in Japan
The Japanese auto industry is currently trying to come up with ways to ensure that used electric vehicle batteries are recycled and reused within the country.
According to the Environment Ministry, 8,543 fire incidents involving mobile batteries discarded as waste occurred in garbage trucks or elsewhere in fiscal 2023.
51³Ô¹ÏÍø
Jan 7, 2026
60% in Japan unaware of mobile battery disposal methods
Experts are calling on the public to not throw such devices away as garbage, as some discarded batteries have started fires in waste collection vehicles.
Swollen or deformed batteries are particularly prone to ignition.
51³Ô¹ÏÍø
Dec 24, 2025
Japan aims to eliminate serious lithium battery fires by 2030
In a policy package drawn up by central government agencies including the Environment Ministry, local governments and companies are urged to properly dispose of used batteries.
Electrical infrastructure for servers at Meta¡¯s data center in Eagle Mountain, Utah. Data centers can use as much electricity as a small city, straining local power grids.
WORLD / Politics
Dec 24, 2025
The Pentagon and AI giants have a weakness. Both need China¡¯s batteries, badly.
Long a problem for industries such as auto manufacturing, Chinese battery dominance is now being seen as a national security threat.
A worker installs battery packs into an electric vehicle chassis at the vehicle assembly lines of Geely Automobile's Zeekr Factory in Ningbo, China, in March. Chinese firms are on track for a 75% jump this year in global shipments of lithium-ion battery cells for energy storage, according to one estimate.
BUSINESS / Tech / ANALYSIS
Dec 22, 2025
China¡¯s power reforms and global data center buildout usher in battery boom
Chinese firms have exported more than $65 billion worth of storage and electric-vehicle batteries this year, cementing their dominance in the sector.
A coal-fired power plant in Shanghai. China¡¯s on track for another year of record mine output.
ENVIRONMENT / Energy
Dec 10, 2025
Energy demand boom keeps Asia tethered to coal
Concerns over energy security and costs are trumping the climate agenda in the region¡¯s high-growth, high-polluting economies.
An experiment on battery-related fires by the National Institute of Technology and Evaluation shows a burnt handheld fan.
51³Ô¹ÏÍø / FOCUS
Dec 2, 2025
Japan works to raise safety awareness over lithium-ion battery fires
Fires linked to electric devices powered by lithium-ion batteries increased in Japan this year amid intense heat in the summer across the nation.
Toyota¡¯s new battery manufacturing plant in Liberty, North Carolina, officially opened on Wednesday.
BUSINESS / Companies
Nov 13, 2025
Toyota pledges up to $10 billion in U.S. operations investment
The announcement comes less than a month after U.S. President Donald Trump flagged that the Japanese carmaker planned such an investment.
Japanese EV production is focusing on batteries as automakers compete for the lightest, most durable models and the longest driving range.
BUSINESS / Companies
Oct 19, 2025
EV battery race heats up among Japanese automakers
Batteries account for about one-third of the price of an EV and largely determine its driving range and durability, fueling fierce competition for innovation.
Japan scientists identify clusters of protein believed to trigger Alzheimer¡¯s disease
A team of researchers said they found a ¡°seed¡± that accelerates the amyloid beta accumulation process in the brain, naming it ¡°Peak 1 amyloid beta,¡± as seen in a mouse's brain.
Indian brothers make manga debut in Japan
Two Indian brothers made their manga debut in Japan with "Kung Fu Kung Fool" ¡ª an action-comedy series that follows the adventures of a notorious thief and a young boy.
Japan weighs regulating Pokemon cards amid trading mania
A Pokemon event is held in Jakarta on July 11
Low-income families in Japan cut food and air conditioning during summer break
Yumiko Watanabe, the chairperson of nonprofit Kidsdoor, explains the results of a survey in Tokyo's Chiyoda Ward on July 1.
The sci-fi sensibilities of electronic trio Black Boboi
Black Boboi was formed in 2018 when solo artists Julia Shortreed, Utena Kobayashi and Ermhoi came together under Kobayashi¡¯s newly founded label, Bindividual.
A perfect storm: Kaze Fujii fans flock to Fuji Rock
Okayama-born singer-songwriter Kaze Fujii has carved out a distinctive place in Japanese pop since his major-label debut in 2019.
Can Japanese comedy get laughs in English? Yoshimoto Kogyo lets the jokes rip
Wes-P has millions of followers and his viral clips made him recognizable out of Japan.
The 180-day locals: Life on Japan¡¯s digital nomad visa
Christopher Flinn works remotely from Tokyo earlier this month. Japan issued 646 digital nomad visas in 2025, but tourism officials are hoping to increase that figure in the coming years, with Japan's relatively cheap cost of living and the weak yen seen as potential draws for young professionals.
Japan reveals hint of new defense spending target in fiscal blueprint
The Self-Defense Forces' Type 16 mobile combat vehicle fires during a joint live-fire drill with U.S. Marines as part of the annual Resolute Dragon exercises in Yufu, Oita Prefecture, on June 28.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo¡¯s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo¡¯s ¡®stadium of desire¡¯

Longform

For many people, utility poles and power lines have become such a familiar part of Japan¡¯s landscape that they often go unnoticed.
Why Japan¡¯s utility poles won¡¯t be disappearing anytime soon
By Alex K.T. Martin

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