According to official figures released Friday, Japan’s greenhouse gas emissions drop 4% in FY2023/24, bringing them to a historic low of 1.071 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide, down from 1.116 billion tons the previous year, the Environment Ministry reported.

This marks the second consecutive year of decline and the lowest level since data collection began in 1990–91. By 2030, Japan, the world’s fifth-largest producer of CO₂, aims to reduce emissions by 46% from 2013 levels. The value for 2023–2024 represents a 23.3% decrease compared to 2013.

Emissions peaked in 2013–14 at 1.4 billion tons, following the Fukushima nuclear accident in 2011, which led to the shutdown of reactors and an increased reliance on fossil fuels. Since then, the gradual restart of nuclear power units and the increasing use of renewable energy have led to a steady decline in emissions.

Sector-Wise Trends: Japan’s Greenhouse Gas Emissions Drop 4% in FY2023/24

Emissions from the industrial sector decreased by 4%. Emissions from homes fell 6.8%, while the business and services sector witnessed a 6.2% decline. The transportation industry had a less significant decrease of 0.7%.

According to the ministry, the quantity of greenhouse gases absorbed by trees and other natural sources decreased by 0.2% to 53.7 million tons in fiscal year 2023/24.

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Electricity Generation Sees Shift Toward Renewables and Nuclear

Japan produced 987.7 billion kilowatt-hours of power in FY2023/24. Of this total, 22.9% came from renewable energy, representing a 1.1 percentage point increase over the previous year. 8.5%, or 2.9 percentage points more, came from nuclear energy.

Despite a four percentage point decline from the previous year, thermal power still accounted for 68.6% of the energy mix. Coal made up 28.3% of thermal generation, followed by natural gas (32.9%) and oil (7.4%).

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