Published Sept 8, 2026: 17 serious accidents — check if your product is recalled
On September 8, 2026 the Consumer Affairs Agency published 17 serious product accidents reported under Article 35(1) of the Consumer Product Safety Act. Two items were highlighted: a recall (collection and exchange) of a rechargeable speaker imported by Anker Japan, and a recall (collection and refund) of an air purifier imported by Daikin Industries. Both products had already been announced as recalled, yet fires and similar accidents occurred with units that had not been handed back. Other products in the batch include a self-propelled vacuum cleaner, chargers with built-in lithium batteries, a lithium storage battery, power conditioners for solar power systems, an electric fan heater, a tablet, an electrically power-assisted bicycle, a lighting fixture, a rechargeable lithium-ion eye mask, a smartphone and an electric rice cooker. A "serious product accident" means an accident causing death, serious injury or fire; manufacturers and importers must report it to the government within 10 days of learning of it, and the agency publishes those reports regularly. No rule changed here — the point is the growing evidence that people keep using recalled products because they never heard about the recall.
Recall notices in Japan circulate in Japanese, through newspaper ads, manufacturer websites and in-store posters. Foreign residents who rarely read Japanese notices can easily keep using a recalled product without knowing. The risk is highest right after arrival, when many people furnish their homes cheaply through secondhand shops and flea-market apps — routes where the manufacturer's notice stops at the previous owner. Appliances supplied with a company or school dormitory are also easy to overlook, because they were never yours to register. The good news: collection, exchange and refunds are free, and your visa status or nationality is irrelevant. Even with limited Japanese, noting the model number and serial number is enough for the manufacturer's desk to identify your unit. Travellers who buy rechargeable gadgets in Japan and take them home should record the model number at purchase so they can check later.
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Source:
Consumer Affairs Agency website (Serious product accidents: fires involving recalled products — rechargeable speaker, air purifier, September 8)This article was edited and written by freegent Inc. based on the source above.