American regulators grounded the Boeing 787 Dreamliner on Wednesday night, saying a recent series of safety incidents meant urgent action was needed.
The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said it would require airlines to demonstrate that the plane's cutting-edge batteries were safe before allowing further flights. It has notified regulators in other countries of its action.
Japan's two leading airlines, All Nippon Airways (ANA) and Japan Airlines, had already grounded their fleets of Boeing 787s after one of the Dreamliner passenger jets made an emergency landing in Japan.