2,350 lithium-ion battery accidents reported in Japan over 5 years

TOKYO (Kyodo) — The Japanese government on Thursday warned of risks posed by lithium-ion batteries and urged consumers to dispose of them properly, after reporting about 2,350 accidents, including fires, over the five years through fiscal 2024.

The Consumer Affairs Agency analyzed accident data and found that smartphones involved in most cases, around 350, followed by electric bikes and mobile batteries with about 300 each.

There have also been cases of people suffering burns from wireless earphones or smartwatches, prompting the agency to call on consumers not to apply excessive force to the devices and to drain the batteries before disposal.

The agency reviewed reports of spontaneous combustion and smoke emission collected by the National Consumer Affairs Center of Japan, but some cases could not be clearly attributed to a specific cause.

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2,350 lithium-ion battery accidents reported in Japan over 5 years, source