Recalled lithium-ion battery products suspected in many fires in Japan
NHK has found that at least 100 fires in Japan in the roughly three and a half years to August are believed to have been caused by recalled products containing lithium-ion batteries.
It made the finding by analyzing data released by the Consumer Affairs Agency amid an increasing number of fires linked to lithium-ion batteries in the country.
In July, five people were injured when a portable charger caught fire on the JR Yamanote Line in Tokyo. The device had already been recalled.
The agency has been releasing data on serious accidents involving electronic appliances and other products. NHK examined 1,041 cases that occurred in the three years and five months to August.
The analysis found that at least about 400 reported fires were linked to products using lithium-ion batteries. At least 100 of them are suspected to have been caused by products that had been recalled by manufacturers.
Products suspected of causing fires include portable chargers, batteries for power-assisted bicycles and personal computers. Injuries occurred in some of the cases.
Information on recalled products is posted on the agency’s website or made public elsewhere if reported to the government. But manufacturers or distributors decide how to notify the public and carry out recalls.
Nakamura Masato, a lawyer well-versed in recall-related issues, says recall information on portable chargers and other products using lithium-ion batteries does not sufficiently reach consumers.
He called on the government and manufacturers to improve how they notify the public, suggesting repeated emails or postcards to ensure the information reaches consumers.
READ the latest Batteries News shaping the battery market
Recalled lithium-ion battery products suspected in many fires in Japan, source
