Japan's carbon emissions fell to a record low in FY2019-20

Japan's greenhouse gas emissions fell to record lows in the 12 months to March 2020 (FY2019/20), the result of
expanding renewable energy use and falling demand for electricity in manufacturing, according to data released by the Japanese government on Tuesday.

CO2 emissions fell 2.
9 percent to 1.
21 billion tonnes in 2019/20 from 1.
25 billion tonnes in the previous year, the lowest level since records began in 1990/91, the sixth consecutive year of emissions reductions
, according to revised data from Japan's Ministry of the Environment.

Japan, the world's fifth-largest carbon emitter, has set a target of reducing emissions by 26% to 1.
04 billion tonnes
by 2030 compared to 2013 levels.
The data shows that the latest figure is 14%
lower than in 2013/14.

Given Japan's long-term goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2050, the government is considering raising its 2030 emissions reduction target
.

Japan's emissions have surged after the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster led to the closure of nuclear power plants and increased reliance on fossil fuels, but have fallen
from a peak of 1.
41 billion tonnes in 2013/14.

Currently, nine reactors have been restarted, the most since Fukushima, although only seven are currently operating
.

In fiscal 2019, renewables accounted for 18 percent of electricity generation, up 1 percentage point
from the previous year.
Nuclear energy held steady at 6 percent, while thermal power accounted for 76 percent, down 1 percentage point
.