Anker Japan has announced that it is reinforcing a comprehensive set of measures for the safety of products that contain lithium-ion batteries, such as mobile batteries[1]. As part of this effort, the company has introduced "Li-ion-kun," an awareness mascot meant to spread the word about how to use these batteries safely and dispose of them properly[1]. The initiative aims to raise safety across the entire product lifecycle, from the "make" stage through the "use" and "dispose" stages.
The Battery Safety Mascot "Li-ion-kun"
The most eye-catching element of this initiative is "Li-ion-kun," a character created to promote lithium-ion battery safety[1].
Li-ion-kun is a lion-motif character inspired by "Li-ion," the English notation for a lithium-ion battery. It wears flames on its body to convey the flammability and risks that batteries can carry[1].
What stands out is that the character is not reserved for Anker Japan's exclusive use; it has been prepared on the premise that it will serve awareness activities across society at large. Through an application on a dedicated page, the company says anyone can use the character data free of charge[1]. The approach is designed to make the mascot easy to adopt for parties that want to communicate safe battery handling, such as local governments and schools.
Safety Measures at the "Make" Stage
The Anker Group states that it places safety as the top priority starting from the development, or "make," stage of products equipped with lithium-ion batteries[1].
On the development side, in the second half of 2025 the company established a new in-house lab within its China headquarters capable of tasks such as product safety testing[1]. It has also introduced a proprietary manufacturing-floor management system (MES: Manufacturing Execution System) that can centrally manage everything from parts suppliers to finished products, and it is working to ensure that suppliers use it[1].
In addition, the company is tightening its supplier consignment standards and has signed contracts with global lithium-ion battery cell suppliers, intending to raise product safety standards even further going forward[1]. Because a mobile battery's overheating or ignition depends heavily on the quality of the battery cell itself, the move reflects an aim to strengthen control over procurement and manufacturing.
Measures at the "Use" and "Dispose" Stages
The safety measures also extend to how products are used and discarded.
At the "use" stage, the company says it will strengthen the dissemination of awareness content on how to use mobile batteries safely through its owned media "Anker Magazine" and its official social media accounts[1].
At the "dispose" stage, in addition to its existing collection activities and replacement campaigns, the company will progressively install boxes at its directly operated Anker Store locations to collect used Anker mobile batteries[1]. These collection boxes use non-flammable materials[1]. The company also says it will further strengthen efforts such as being featured in "LiB Partner," a lithium-ion battery fire-prevention program promoted by Japan's Ministry of the Environment, as well as measures in cooperation with local governments, study sessions at junior high schools, and collection activities in partnership with some consumer electronics retailers[1]. It is an effort to increase the routes for safely letting go of batteries rather than keeping degraded ones on hand.
Summary
Anker Japan has rolled out a comprehensive initiative to raise safety across every stage of products equipped with lithium-ion batteries, from development through use and collection, and has unveiled the awareness mascot "Li-ion-kun" as its symbol[1]. The initiative advances both product quality control and society-wide awareness at the same time, through steps such as establishing an in-house lab, tightening cell procurement, and installing collection boxes. Precisely because mobile batteries are carried around every day, this kind of manufacturer-side effort may also be an occasion to reconsider how we choose products and use them day to day.
Source: https://prtimes.jp/main/html/rd/p/000000628.000016775.html
