TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Japan's greenhouse gas emissions fell to a record low in fiscal 2023 for the second straight year on the back of reduced manufacturing activity and a greater share for renewable and nuclear energy in power generation, the government said Friday.

National emissions in the year through March 2024 totaled 1.07 billion tons of carbon dioxide equivalent, down 4 percent from fiscal 2022 and marking the lowest level since comparable data became available in fiscal 1990.

The decline was mainly attributable to renewable and nuclear energy accounting for over 30 percent of Japan's power generation and lower energy consumption and industrial production, Environment Ministry officials said.

Japan has set a goal of net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 by subtracting CO2 absorption by forests, aiming to reduce emissions by 60 percent in fiscal 2035 and 73 percent in fiscal 2040, compared with fiscal 2013.

Emissions in fiscal 2023 marked a 27.1 percent drop from fiscal 2013, with officials saying the country is on track to achieve the goal.

In fiscal 2023, emissions fell 4.0 percent from fiscal 2022 in the manufacturing sector, while household emissions were down 6.8 percent, likely due to a warmer winter.

"Emission reduction is on the right track but only halfway through," Environment Minister Keiichiro Asao said in a press conference, stressing the need for continued efforts by both the public and the private sectors.

The ministry reported the emission data to the secretariat of the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change.