TOKYO - Japan's greenhouse gas emissions fell by 4 percent to a record low in the fiscal year ended March 2024, government data showed on Friday, led by lower energy consumption as well as the increased use of renewable energy and the restart of nuclear power plants.

Emissions for the 2023/24 year dropped to the equivalent of 1.071 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide from 1.116 billion tons a year earlier, data from the environment ministry showed.

The latest figure marks the lowest since data collection began in 1990/91 and represents the second year of declines.

The industrial sector recorded a 4 percent decline, while the commercial and services sector saw a 6.2 percent drop. Emissions from the household sector also fell by 6.8 percent, and the transportation sector registered a 0.7 percent decrease.

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Japan, the world's fifth-biggest CO2 emitter, aims to reduce emissions by 46 percent from 2013 levels by 2030. The 2023/24 figure represents a reduction of 23.3 percent from 2013.

The amount of greenhouse gases absorbed by forests and other sources in 2023/24 slid by 0.2 percent to 53.7 million tons, the ministry said.

Japan's emissions surged following the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster, which led to widespread nuclear reactor shutdowns and increased fossil fuel reliance. Emissions peaked at 1.4 billion tons in 2013/14 but have since declined, supported by greater use of renewable energy and the gradual restart of nuclear reactors.

In 2023/24, renewable energy accounted for 22.9 percent of the 987.7 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity generated, up 1.1 percentage points from the previous year. Nuclear energy contributed 8.5 percent, up 2.9 percentage points.

Thermal power made up 68.6 percent of total electricity generation, down 4 percentage points year-on-year. The breakdown of thermal sources was 28.3 percent coal, 32.9 percent natural gas, and 7.4 percent oil.