FACTBOX-How Japan plans to meet Kyoto emissions-cut goal

(Updates government data, adds utility sector's estimate)

Nov 12 (Reuters) - Japanese greenhouse gas emissions rose 2.3
percent in the year that ended in March, the government said on
Wednesday, pushing Japan further away from its commitments under
the Kyoto Protocol climate pact.

Under the climate pact, Japan, the world's fifth-largest
greenhouse gas emitter, must cut its emissions of carbon dioxide
(CO2) and other greenhouse gases to 6 percent below 1990 levels
between 2008-12.

For a graphic of Japan's CO2 emissions, click on:

here

Japan aims to cut emissions to meet its commitments under the
United Nations climate pact in two ways.

The government plans more forest conservation at home while
investing in clean energy projects abroad, which generates
credits to offset emissions.

The other step is to seek voluntary pledges on emissions cuts
by major industry sectors, including electricity generators and
steel makers.

Unlike the European Union, Japan has been reluctant to impose
a mandatory cap on companies' emissions because of past efforts
by industry to conserve energy.

Its Kyoto goal is to cut greenhouse gas emissions to 1.186
billion tonnes in CO2 equivalent a year on average between 2008
and 2012. Preliminary government data released on Wednesday
showed Japan emitted a record 1.371 billion tonnes in the year to
March 2008, up 2.3 percent to leave Japan 9 percent above its
target. [ID:nT173861].

The halting of electricity production at Tokyo Electric Power
Co's (9501.T) Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear plant, the world's
largest, following a July 2007 earthquake raises the electric
power sector's CO2 emissions by 30 million tonnes a year,
according to the company's calculation, by boosting the use of
coal and other fossil fuels.

Following is a rough guide to measures being implemented by
Japan to cut CO2-equivalent emissions (per year, average).

The electric power industry has a voluntary target to reduce
CO2 emissions to 0.34 kg per kilowatt hour.

But their emissions for the year ended in March averaged 0.45
kg per kilowatt hour, which means the sector still has to reduce
emissions by around 100 million tonnes a year, based on the
sector's estimated power generation of 931 billion kilowatt hours
a year between 2008/09 and 2012/13.

The steel industry said recently it had stepped up buying of
U.N. carbon offsets to help meet the sector's voluntarily pledged
emissions target. [ID:nT139840]

Based on the figures for 2007/08, the aim is to cut national
emissions by 185 million tonnes per year to meet the Kyoto
target. Cuts will come from:

Public sector

- Forest conservation - 48 million tonnes

- *Kyoto mechanism - 20 million tonnes

Private sector

- Electric power - about 100 million tonnes, including

38 million tonnes via *Kyoto

mechanism

- Steel - about 15 million tonnes, including

12 million tonnes via *Kyoto

mechanism

- remaining emission cuts are up to other industrial sectors
and households.

* The Kyoto mechanism refers to a United Nations scheme which
allows rich nation polluters to fund emission cuts in poorer or
former communist countries and put them towards domestic carbon
reduction targets or sell them for a profit.
(Reporting by Risa Maeda; Editing by David Fogarty)