Japan's Environment Ministry says the country's greenhouse gas emissions in fiscal 2021 increased from the previous year for the first time since fiscal 2013.

Data released by the ministry on Friday showed that domestic emissions in the fiscal year that ended in March 2022 amounted to 1.17 billion tons of carbon dioxide equivalent.

That's a rise of 23 million tons, or 2 percent, from the previous year. In fiscal 2020, the figure hit a record low and dropped for the seventh straight year.

The ministry attributed the growth mainly to an increase in energy consumption in the industrial and transport sectors, as economic activities were recovering even during the coronavirus pandemic.

The government aims by fiscal 2030 to cut emissions by 46 percent compared with fiscal 2013 levels. This is to achieve a goal of limiting the rise in global temperatures to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.

The ministry noted that the latest growth in emissions will have no major impact on Japan's efforts to achieve the goal, as emissions have fallen by more than 3 percent from pre-pandemic fiscal 2019. It added that the removal of carbon dioxide from emissions increased from fiscal 2020 thanks to forest maintenance and the promotion of wood use.

Environment Minister Nishimura Akihiro said the Group of Seven environment ministers have recently confirmed the importance of efforts to achieve the 1.5 degrees Celsius reduction. He said Japan will continue striving to achieving net-zero emissions by 2050.