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Can you bring bottled water on a plane?

In Japan bottled drinks are allowed in carry-on with conditions, and in checked bags. Carry-on: Domestic flights inside Japan: yes, any size. International flights: only in containers of 100ml or less inside your 1 litre liquids bag, so an ordinary 500ml bottle does not pass. Drinks bought after security can be carried on. Checked baggage: Yes.

Updated

Yes, within limitsCarry-on in Japan
YesChecked bag in Japan
9countries compared

Carry-on: conditionsChecked bag: yes

Bottled drinks on flights in and from Japan

On a domestic flight the 100ml liquid limit does not apply. On an international flight it does.

Bottled drinks (PET bottles): carry-on and checked baggage in Japan
WhereAllowed?What applies
In the cabinYes, within limitsDomestic flights inside Japan: yes, any size. International flights: only in containers of 100ml or less inside your 1 litre liquids bag, so an ordinary 500ml bottle does not pass. Drinks bought after security can be carried on.
In checked baggageYesYes.
Domestic flights in Japan
The 100ml liquid limit does not apply.
International flights from Japan
Each container 100ml or less, all of them inside one transparent re-sealable bag of 1 litre or less, one bag per person.

If you change planes in another country, a drink bought after security in Japan can still be taken from you at that airport's checkpoint.

Narita AirportNarita says 500 ml bottles of juice, tea or mineral water cannot be carried on international flights, but drinks bought at duty-free shops and other stores after security screening and departure procedures can be taken on board.Narita International Airport
A drinks vending machine stocked with bottled tea and soft drinks on a street in Kyoto, with a bicycle parked beside it
Photo: Bicycle next to vending machine 2016 (31147115423).jpg by Khairil Yusof from Malaysia (CC BY 2.0, cropped), via Wikimedia Commons.

Water, tea, juice and jelly drinks on Japan's liquids list

Japan's list for international flights names soft drinks row by row, and some of the entries are easy to miss.

Soft drinks fill several rows
The list has separate rows for Juice, Milk-based Drinks and Other Soft Drinks. Its examples run from concentrated juice and soy milk to cola, ginger ale, tea, coffee and nutrition drinks. The Japanese-language edition adds plain water, sparkling water, sports drinks and non-alcoholic beer, so a drink with no sugar and no fizz is covered as well.
Jelly drinks, shakes and drinkable yogurt
A drink does not have to pour like water to count. The dessert and yogurt row of the Japanese-language edition names drinkable jelly and drinkable yogurt beside shakes and smoothies, and the health food row covers energy drinks. The list states its own test: articles that cannot keep their shape without the container fall under the restriction.
Drinks made for a baby
Baby drinks sit in an exception row that applies only to passengers travelling with the infant. The Japanese-language edition gives hojicha tea for infants and sports drinks for infants as its examples. The TSA keeps separate entries for Water for Babies and Juice for Babies, and GOV.UK allows sterilised water for the baby when the baby is present.

Bottled drinks: the rule country by country

The carry-on answer for bottled drinks is the same in all 8 other places we checked. The limits themselves are not identical, so read the row for the country you fly from.

Bottled drinks (PET bottles): carry-on and checked baggage rules by country
Flying fromCarry-onChecked bagWhat the authority says
JapanCivil Aviation BureauWith limitsYesDomestic flights inside Japan: yes, any size. International flights: only in containers of 100ml or less inside your 1 litre liquids bag, so an ordinary 500ml bottle does not pass. Source
United StatesTSAWith limitsYesBottled water and juices are allowed in carry-on bags only in containers of 3.4oz/100 ml or less.TSA entry: Bottled Water, Juices Source
European UnionEuropean Commission, EASAWith limits—Drinks count as liquids. Hand luggage: 100 ml per container, all in one re-sealable one-litre bag. Source
United KingdomUK GovernmentWith limitsYesDrinks, including water, count as liquids. Hand luggage: 100ml per container at most airports, up to 2 litres at some. Source
South KoreaMOLIT Aviation Security 365With limitsYesDrinks fall under liquids, aerosols and gels. Carry-on is restricted on international flights only. Source
TaiwanCivil Aviation AdministrationWith limitsYesInternational flights only: 100 ml per carry-on container, in one resealable 1 litre bag. Source
Hong KongCivil Aviation DepartmentWith limits—Drinks are liquids. In cabin baggage each container must be 100 ml or less (a larger container is refused even if only part-filled), and all containers go in one transparent re-sealable bag of 1 litre or less. Source
Mainland ChinaCAACWith limitsYesDomestic flights: no liquids in carry-on. International and regional flights: containers up to 100mL in one resealable 1L clear bag. Liquids bought inside the airport's controlled area can be carried on. Source
AustraliaHome Affairs, CASAWith limitsYesSoft drinks, juice and bottled water count as liquids. On international flights each carry-on container must be 100 mL or less, in one resealable bag. The limit does not apply to checked baggage or most domestic flights.CASA Pack Right entry: Fruit - bananas, apples, pears, tomato, juice, drinks, paste, seeds etc Source

Each row comes from that authority's own page. Airlines can be stricter, and the screening officer has the final say.

If security in Japan will not let bottled drinks through

What to do
Move bottled drinks to the bag you check in before you reach security. Narita Airport states that anything given up at the checkpoint is discarded and cannot be returned.

Buying bottled drinks in Japan

Where to buy
Vending machines and convenience stores, everywhere.

Frequently asked questions

Can you bring bottled water on a plane?

On flights in and from Japan: Domestic flights inside Japan: yes, any size. International flights: only in containers of 100ml or less inside your 1 litre liquids bag, so an ordinary 500ml bottle does not pass. Drinks bought after security can be carried on. In checked baggage: Yes.

Can you bring water through security at a Japanese airport?

Only in small containers on an international flight, unless the water is needed for a medical reason or for a baby travelling with you. Japan's restricted liquids list names water and sparkling water with the other soft drinks. It sets apart water, juice or liquid nutrition for passengers with a disability or medical condition: the amount needed in the cabin is permitted, and it has to be declared to the screener.

Can you take a drink bought after security onto a connecting flight?

Not always. A drink bought after security in Japan can be carried onto that flight, but Japan's list warns that it may be confiscated at a checkpoint abroad under that country's rules. Narita's FAQ says passengers who connect from one international flight to another without entering Japan have to dispose of liquid beyond the limit at the security checkpoint for connection. Taiwan's CAA applies its carry-on limits to passengers transferring at its airports, duty-free goods included.

Does the TSA allow a bottle of water in carry-on bags?

Bottled water and juices are allowed in carry-on bags only in containers of 3.4oz/100 ml or less.

Can you take a bottle of water in hand luggage in the UK or Europe?

The United Kingdom: Drinks, including water, count as liquids. Hand luggage: 100ml per container at most airports, up to 2 litres at some. The European Union: Drinks count as liquids. Hand luggage: 100 ml per container, all in one re-sealable one-litre bag.

What is the rule for bottled drinks on flights from Taiwan and Australia?

Taiwan: International flights only: 100 ml per carry-on container, in one resealable 1 litre bag. Australia: Soft drinks, juice and bottled water count as liquids. On international flights each carry-on container must be 100 mL or less, in one resealable bag. The limit does not apply to checked baggage or most domestic flights.

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Compiled by Japan Japan !! · Updated October 2, 2026