In Japan lighters are allowed in carry-on with conditions, never in checked bags.
Carry-on: One per person, carried on your body, not in a bag. It counts as the same single item as a box of safety matches: one lighter or one box, not both. Disposable and refillable gas lighters, oil lighters with an absorbent filling and electronic lighters are accepted. Checked baggage: No.
Lighters on flights in and from Japan
The rule for lighters comes from the Civil Aviation Bureau's list of restricted items and is the same on domestic and international flights.
| Where | Allowed? | What applies |
|---|---|---|
| In the cabin | Yes, within limits | One per person, carried on your body, not in a bag. It counts as the same single item as a box of safety matches: one lighter or one box, not both. Disposable and refillable gas lighters, oil lighters with an absorbent filling and electronic lighters are accepted. Oil-tank lighters without absorbent are not, and Narita Airport also refuses cigar lighters and pre-mixing lighters such as turbo, jet and blue-flame types. |
| In checked baggage | No | No. |
An electronic lighter's lithium battery must be 100Wh or less and must not be charged on board. Ignition devices that are not for smoking cannot go in either bag, and a lighter shaped like a tool knife or a throwing star is refused in both as well.
Narita Airport
Narita says one lighter or one box of matches per person, not both, and never in checked baggage; turbo lighters are prohibited, and some flights such as those to and from China ban lighters entirely.
Narita International Airport FAQ
Turbo, Zippo, electric or disposable: which lighters fly
The limit of 1 is the easy part. Whether a lighter is accepted at all depends on how it makes its flame and what fuels it.
- Turbo, jet and cigar lighters
- Japan's national list does not name them, but Narita Airport's FAQ does: oil tank lighters, cigar lighters and pre-mixing lighters such as turbo, jet and blue flame types are not permitted in carry-on baggage. The TSA says No to torch lighters in carry-on and checked bags, Taiwan's CAA forbids premixing burner lighters in any baggage, and Australia's CASA lists jet, blue-flame and cigar lighters as Item Not Permitted.
- Electric, arc and plasma lighters
- Japan's list accepts electronic lighters, both heating-coil and plasma types, as the 1 item you may carry, provided the heating part is protected against accidental activation. The TSA requires measures against unintentional activation, and Hong Kong's CAD and Taiwan's CAA forbid battery lighters that have no safety cap or other protection. Australia's CASA takes the opposite line and lists arc lighters as Item Not Permitted.
- Only lighters for smoking are allowed
- The allowance on Japan's list sits under the heading for smoking use. Ignition tools that are not for smoking are a separate entry, marked × for carry-on and × for checked baggage whether they are disposable, gas-refillable or oil-filled. Novelty shapes fail too: a lighter shaped like a multi-tool knife or a shuriken cannot be carried on because of its threatening shape, and as a lighter it cannot be checked either.
- What Narita adds at the checkpoint
- Narita's FAQ fills in details the list leaves out. A traveller holding both a lighter and matches chooses at the security checkpoint which one to take. One lighter per person is the rule in principle, but some airlines may prohibit any lighter from being brought on the plane. Cigarettes themselves can be carried on board as hand luggage.
Lighters: the rule country by country
Lighters are not allowed in carry-on in Mainland China.
| Flying from | Carry-on | Checked bag | What the authority says |
|---|---|---|---|
| JapanCivil Aviation Bureau | With limits | No | One per person, carried on your body, not in a bag. It counts as the same single item as a box of safety matches: one lighter or one box, not both. Source |
| United StatesTSA | With limits | With limits | Disposable and Zippo lighters are allowed in carry-on. In checked bags they are allowed without fuel, or up to two fueled lighters if properly enclosed in a DOT approved case. Torch lighters are not allowed in carry-on or checked bags.TSA entry: Lighters (Disposable and Zippo), Lighters (Torch) Source |
| United KingdomUK Government | With limits | No | You can carry only 1 lighter on board. Put it in a resealable plastic bag (like the ones used for liquids) and keep it on you throughout the flight. It cannot go in hold luggage, or in your hand luggage after screening. Source |
| South KoreaMOLIT Aviation Security 365 | With limits | No | 1 small lighter per person, carried on your person only: not in carry-on bags or checked baggage. China: banned in both. Torch lighters are on the banned list unless carried on your person under the dangerous goods standard. Source |
| TaiwanCivil Aviation Administration | With limits | No | 1 cigarette lighter or 1 box of safety matches per person, carried on your person; not allowed in checked baggage. It must not contain unabsorbed liquid fuel (liquefied gas is not counted). Jet (blue-flame) lighters are forbidden. Source |
| Hong KongCivil Aviation Department | With limits | No | Each passenger may carry only one lighter, on the person: lighters are not allowed in carry-on bags or checked baggage. It must not contain unabsorbed liquid fuel (other than liquefied gas). Lighter fuel and refills are forbidden. Source |
| Mainland ChinaCAAC | No | No | Lighters cannot be carried on or checked. All kinds of ignition devices are covered, including matches and magnesium fire starters. Source |
| AustraliaHome Affairs, CASA | With limits | No | One lighter per passenger, carried on your person only, not in carry-on or checked bags. Jet, blue-flame and arc lighters are not permitted.CASA Pack Right entry: Cigarette lighter containing either liquefied gas or absorbed liquid fuel, Jet lighters, blue-flame lighters, arc lighters 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 lighters through
- What to do
- Lighters cannot go in checked baggage either. Leave them behind or hand them to someone who is not flying. Narita Airport states that anything given up at the checkpoint is discarded and cannot be returned.
Buying lighters in Japan
- Where to buy
- Convenience stores.
Frequently asked questions
Can you bring a lighter on a plane?
On flights in and from Japan: One per person, carried on your body, not in a bag. It counts as the same single item as a box of safety matches: one lighter or one box, not both. Disposable and refillable gas lighters, oil lighters with an absorbent filling and electronic lighters are accepted. Oil-tank lighters without absorbent are not, and Narita Airport also refuses cigar lighters and pre-mixing lighters such as turbo, jet and blue-flame types. In checked baggage: No.
Can you bring a torch lighter on a plane?
No. The TSA lists torch lighters as No for carry-on and No for checked bags, and Narita Airport's FAQ says turbo, jet and blue flame lighters are not permitted in carry-on baggage, while no lighter of any kind may be checked in Japan. Taiwan's CAA and Australia's CASA forbid jet and blue-flame lighters in any baggage.
Can you bring a lighter without fluid on a plane?
In the United States, yes: the TSA allows disposable and Zippo lighters without fuel in checked bags, and with fuel only in a DOT approved case. Japan makes no such exception. Narita's FAQ says no lighter can be put in a suitcase to be checked, and the national list allows 1 lighter, carried on your person.
Are arc or plasma lighters allowed on planes?
In Japan, yes, as your 1 lighter. The list accepts heating-coil and plasma electronic lighters if the lithium ion battery is 100 Wh or less, it is not charged on board and the heating part cannot switch on by accident. The TSA allows them in carry-on only. Australia's CASA does not permit arc lighters at all.
Does the TSA allow a lighter in carry-on bags?
Disposable and Zippo lighters are allowed in carry-on. In checked bags they are allowed without fuel, or up to two fueled lighters if properly enclosed in a DOT approved case. Torch lighters are not allowed in carry-on or checked bags.
Can you take a lighter in hand luggage in the UK or Europe?
The United Kingdom: You can carry only 1 lighter on board. Put it in a resealable plastic bag (like the ones used for liquids) and keep it on you throughout the flight. It cannot go in hold luggage, or in your hand luggage after screening.
Can you put a lighter in checked luggage?
Not on flights in or from Japan. No.
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Sources for this page
- Japan Civil Aviation Bureau (MLIT) — Items restricted in carry-on and checked baggage (updated 24 April 2026)
- Narita International Airport — FAQ: prohibited items
- TSA — What Can I Bring?: Lighters (Disposable and Zippo) + Lighters (Torch)
- GOV.UK — Hand luggage restrictions: Overview
- Aviation Security 365 (MOLIT / KOTSA) — Dangerous goods
- Taiwan CAA — Dangerous goods passengers and crew may carry
- Civil Aviation Department (Hong Kong) — Packing Tips for Air Passenger: Provisions for Dangerous Goods Carried by Passenger and Crew
- CAAC — Air travel basics (航空旅行常识)
- CASA — Pack Right: Cigarette lighter containing either liquefied gas or absorbed liquid fuel
- Taiwan CAA — Table of dangerous goods passengers and crew may carry or check (Chinese)