TOKYO – Japan’s pace of reducing greenhouse gas emissions slowed in fiscal 2024 as it effectively emitted the equivalent of 994 million tons of carbon dioxide, 15 million tons more than its annual plan, the government said Tuesday.
The national emission figure through March 2025 was down 28.7 percent compared to the fiscal 2013 base year, marking the lowest level since then and dropping below 1 billion tons for the first time. Nevertheless, the figure still exceeded the planned amount, resulting in the country missing its interim target for the second time since fiscal 2022.
“We’ve experienced ups and downs in emissions cutting depending on the year but are still maintaining a downward trend and on track” to achieve the final goal, an Environment Ministry official said.
To achieve its goal of net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, Japan aims to reduce its effective emissions — subtracting CO2 absorption by forests and other sources — by 60 percent in fiscal 2035 and 73 percent in fiscal 2040, compared with fiscal 2013.
“I have instructed (relevant parties) to strengthen and improve measures to reach the reduction goal,” Environment Minister Hirotaka Ishihara said at a press conference on Tuesday.
The pace at which terrestrial forest ecosystems absorbed carbon emissions slowed to 52.30 million tons in fiscal 2024, compared with the previous year, due to the aging of trees. Meanwhile, the amount of carbon captured by coastal and marine ecosystems remained almost unchanged at 320,000 tons, according to the ministry.