TOKYO, April 14 (Xinhua) -- Japan's pace of reducing greenhouse gas emissions slowed in fiscal 2024 as it effectively emitted 15 million tons more than its annual plan, the Environment Ministry said Tuesday.

A pedestrian uses an umbrella to shield against the sun while walking on the street in a hot summer day in Tokyo, Japan, July 28, 2023. (Photo: Xinhua)

Net emissions, after the subtraction of absorption by forests and other sources, stood at 994 million tons in fiscal 2024, down 28.7 percent from the base year of fiscal 2013, slipping below 1 billion tons for the first time since then, the ministry said.

However, the figure through March 2025 still exceeded the planned amount, resulting in the country missing its interim target for the second time since fiscal 2022.

Carbon emissions absorbed by terrestrial forest ecosystems fell 2.9 percent to 52.3 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.

As Japan seeks to realize carbon neutrality by 2050, the government aims to reduce its net emissions by 60 percent in fiscal 2035 and 73 percent in fiscal 2040 from the 2013 level.