East Asia · JPN
Japan Environmental Profile
Japan's territorial fossil and industrial CO₂ fell to 961.9 million tonnes in 2024, 17% below 1990 and well below the mid-2000s peak. Primary energy use per person also declined, reflecting efficiency, structural change, and a shrinking population as well as energy-policy shifts. The electricity system remains transitional: coal and gas supplied 66.3% of generation, nuclear recovered to 8.4%, and renewables reached 22.9%, led by solar, hydropower, and bioenergy. FAO reports a small net forest-area loss, while agriculture contributed a comparatively modest 22.8 Mt CO₂e. Japan combines high adaptation readiness with meaningful physical exposure to heat, storms, flooding, and coastal hazards. Its key test is whether lower demand, renewable expansion, grid reform, and safe low-carbon firm power can retire fossil generation rather than merely stabilize it.
At a glance
Six signals, each with its own clock
Values are not forced into a false common year. The observation year and source sit on every card.
- Net forest-area change
- −2,200 ha/year
Net loss in the latest interval
Original interpretation
What stands out
Each insight connects multiple indicators instead of repeating a headline number.
Falling emissions reflect both decarbonization and changing demand
Japan's territorial CO₂ and primary energy use per person were each about 17% below 1990 in 2024. That decline is meaningful, but it combines efficiency, demographic change, economic structure, and the evolving electricity mix. Separating these drivers matters for judging which reductions can continue as electrification increases power demand.
See the evidenceThe post-Fukushima power mix remains fossil-heavy
Coal and gas together generated 66.3% of electricity in 2024, even as nuclear recovered and renewables reached 22.9%. Solar is now substantial, but wind remains small. Grid interconnection, market design, storage, permitting, and decisions about reactor operation will strongly influence the speed of further fossil displacement.
See the evidenceHigh readiness does not remove physical risk
Japan's adaptation readiness score of 0.667 is among the strongest in this collection, while modeled exposure remains 0.493. Advanced infrastructure and institutions can reduce vulnerability, but they do not eliminate typhoon, flood, heat, landslide, and coastal hazards. Aging communities and ecological fragmentation create additional dimensions that national averages cannot resolve.
See the evidenceEmissions
A trajectory, not just a latest value
Territorial fossil and industrial CO₂, with total and per-person views using the same selected years.
Japan CO₂ history
961.9 million t in 2024, compared with 1,154.9 million t CO₂ in 1990.
The complete values are available in the data table below. JavaScript adds the visual chart.
View emissions data table
| Year | Total (t CO₂) | Per person (t) |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 1,154,853,200 | 9.36 |
| 1995 | 1,235,873,200 | 9.83 |
| 2000 | 1,260,203,000 | 9.92 |
| 2005 | 1,286,412,300 | 10.06 |
| 2010 | 1,211,090,300 | 9.45 |
| 2015 | 1,219,982,500 | 9.59 |
| 2020 | 1,037,284,700 | 8.21 |
| 2021 | 1,058,501,800 | 8.42 |
| 2022 | 1,029,644,900 | 8.24 |
| 2023 | 986,910,140 | 7.94 |
| 2024 | 961,867,300 | 7.77 |
Energy transition
Electricity is the leading edge—not the whole system
Generation shares show the power recipe. Primary energy per person supplies the wider context.
Renewable electricity share
22.9% in 2024.
The complete values are available in the data table below. JavaScript adds the visual chart.
View renewable-share data table
| Year | Renewable share |
|---|---|
| 2000 | 9.19% |
| 2005 | 8.91% |
| 2010 | 10.23% |
| 2015 | 14.95% |
| 2020 | 19.09% |
| 2021 | 20.12% |
| 2022 | 20.49% |
| 2023 | 22.14% |
| 2024 | 22.94% |
Electricity mix, 2024
1,016.4 TWh of domestic generation; shares are derived from the nine source rows.
- Coal
- 32.19% 327.13 TWh
- Gas
- 34.07% 346.24 TWh
- Oil
- 2.46% 25.00 TWh
- Nuclear
- 8.35% 84.91 TWh
- Hydropower
- 7.82% 79.45 TWh
- Wind
- 1.14% 11.54 TWh
- Solar
- 9.51% 96.70 TWh
- Bioenergy
- 4.47% 45.42 TWh
- Other renewables
- 0.00% 0.00 TWh
Land and food
Net forest change and agricultural gases
Two useful indicators with deliberately separate accounting boundaries.
Net forest-area change
2025−2,200 ha/year
Expansion minus deforestation; this is not gross natural-forest loss. 2020–2025 average.
Agricultural emissions
202322.8 Mt CO₂e
IPCC Agriculture greenhouse gases in CO₂e; excludes land-use CO₂ and energy.
Climate risk and biodiversity
Scores need direction, definition, and restraint
Exposure is kept separate from vulnerability and readiness; biodiversity coverage is not presented as ecological success.
Climate exposure
20240.493 / 1
0 is lower; 1 is higher
Modeled biophysical exposure component of ND-GAIN; invariant across the time series.
Climate vulnerability
20240.353 / 1
Down from 0.358 in 1995
Exposure, sensitivity, and adaptive capacity combined; lower is better.
Adaptation readiness
20240.667 / 1
1 is more ready
Economic, governance, and social readiness to convert investment into adaptation.
Red List Index
20240.75 / 1
Down from 0.83 in 1995
Closer to 1 indicates lower aggregate extinction risk among assessed groups.
Protected KBA coverage
202464.8%
+33.5 points since 2000
Average share of terrestrial Key Biodiversity Areas covered by protected areas.
Synthesis
Connections to watch
Watch 01
Decompose falling emissions into demand, efficiency, fuel switching, renewables, and nuclear output.
Watch 02
Watch whether grid reform allows wind and solar to displace coal and gas across regional systems.
Watch 03
Pair high protected coverage with evidence on habitat condition and species recovery.
What these numbers cannot tell us: National indicators cannot resolve local inequality, implementation quality, ecosystem condition, or the lived impacts of pollution and climate hazards. They are a starting map for investigation, not a verdict.
Methodology and downloads
A reproducible, bounded snapshot
24Earth retrieved this snapshot on 14 July 2026 and stores it locally. Each source is refreshed on its own schedule, so every metric retains its observation year instead of being relabeled “current.” Values are rounded only for display; downloads retain source precision where reuse permits.
Indicator data dictionary and source ledger
| Source family | Coverage / update | License / reuse | Boundary and 24Earth treatment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Global Carbon Budget (2025), processed by Our World in Data Global Carbon Project and Our World in Data | Through 2024; source update 2025-11-13 | Source citation requested; OWID Chart API material is CC BY 4.0 where applicable, with original source terms continuing to apply. | Territorial fossil-fuel and industrial CO₂. Land-use change is excluded. |
| Yearly Electricity Data, compiled by Our World in Data Ember via Our World in Data | Through 2024–2025, depending on country; source update 2026-04-24 | CC BY 4.0 | 24Earth uses 2000 onward so the displayed generation data is within Ember coverage, avoiding legacy Energy Institute rows. |
| International primary energy consumption per capita U.S. Energy Information Administration | Through 2024; source update 2026 | U.S. government data are public domain; attribution requested. | EIA series INTL.47-33-{ISO3}-MBTUPP.A converted from million Btu per person to kWh per person using 293.07107. This is EIA, not IEA. |
| Global Forest Resources Assessment 2025 Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, processed by Our World in Data | Through 2025; source update 2025-12-05 | FAO open-data terms; attribution required. | Average annual net forest-area change for the latest assessment interval, not gross tree-cover loss. |
| FAOSTAT Emissions Totals — IPCC Agriculture Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations | Through 2023; source update 2025-10-28 | CC BY 4.0 with FAO database terms | Item 1711, IPCC Agriculture; Element 723113, emissions in CO₂-equivalent using AR5 factors; FAO Tier 1. Source kt CO₂e values are multiplied by 1,000 for displayed tonnes. |
| World Population Prospects 2024 United Nations, processed by Our World in Data | Through 2023; source update 2024 | United Nations data terms; attribution required. | Historical population estimate used for context; it is not forced to the year of other indicators. |
| ND-GAIN Country Index 2026 release Notre Dame Global Adaptation Initiative | Through 2024; source update 2026-06-26 | CC BY 3.0 | Exposure is a modeled biophysical index from 0 (lower) to 1 (higher); it is not observed disaster loss. |
| Red List Index (UN SDG 15.5.1) BirdLife International and IUCN, distributed through UN SDG data and Our World in Data | Through 2024; source update 2025-10-29 | Original IUCN and BirdLife reuse terms apply. Display only; omitted from downloads. | A national aggregate from OWID's 2025-10-29 snapshot is displayed with attribution. It differs from a later live UNSD revision, so versions are not blended. Raw species data and this metric are excluded from 24Earth downloads. |
| Protected coverage of terrestrial Key Biodiversity Areas (UN SDG 15.1.2) BirdLife International, IUCN and UNEP-WCMC, distributed through UN SDG data and Our World in Data | Through 2024; source update 2025-10-29 | Original provider and Protected Planet reuse terms apply. Display only; omitted from downloads. | The national SDG aggregate is displayed with attribution. Raw protected-area and KBA data are not redistributed by 24Earth. |
Download the Japan profile snapshot
CSV is analysis-friendly; JSON preserves definitions, precision, and source metadata. Biodiversity aggregates are intentionally omitted from both files while original reuse rights are reviewed.
Licensing decision: This profile does not redistribute IEA data. Primary energy comes from U.S. EIA. Electricity history begins in Ember’s openly licensed modern coverage. Source access and reuse permission are treated as separate questions.
