According to the preliminary data released by the Environment Ministry, the equivalent of 1.149 billion tons of carbon dioxide was emitted in the year through March 2021, marking a record low after the government started compiling data in fiscal 1990.
However, the use of hydrofluorocarbons, which are super greenhouse gasses commonly used in refrigeration and air conditioning, increased 4.4 percent from a year earlier.
The Japanese government submitted a goal of a 46-percent cut by fiscal 2030 to the United Nations in October.
"We would like to expand renewable energy and accelerate the introduction of thermal insulation measures for homes," a ministry official said.
By components, the industry sector reduced energy-related CO2 emissions by 8.3 percent year-on-year in fiscal 2020, while such emissions in the transport sector and service providers dropped 10.2 percent and 4.1 percent, respectively.
However, the household sector reported a 4.9-percent increase in emissions amid an expansion in teleworking and online classes amid the pandemic.
In Japan's power supply mix, power generated by renewables rose to account for 19.8 percent with the expansion of photovoltaics, nuclear power stood at 3.9 percent since many nuclear plants remained offline after the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster, and the ratio of coal fire fell 1 percent from a year earlier to 31 percent, according to the data.
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