The target is based on the government's power generation plan for 2030 that the Ministry ofEconomy, Trade and Industry (METI) finalised on Thursday. The plan calls for relying slightly less on nuclear power than on renewable energy following the 2011 Fukushima disaster.

Using 2013 as a baseline, Japan's 26 per cent cut would be higher than an 18 to 21 per cent cut by the United States by 2025 and a 24 per cent cut by the European Union by 2030.

Japan - the world's fifth largest emitter of greenhouse gases - saw its emissions rise to 1.41 billion metric tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) equivalent, the second-highest on record, in the year through March 2014. That was up 10.8 per cent from 1990, reflecting a rise in coal-fired power after the indefinite closure of nuclear power plants.

Green activists and some other countries that are calling for even bigger cuts say Japan will be blamed by global communities not only for a low target, but also for plans to build more coal-fired plants at home.

The trade ministry on Thursday said the government would plan to make nuclear energy account for 20 to 22 per cent of Japan's electricity mix in 2030, versus 30 per cent before Fukushima. It set the target for renewable energy at 22 to 24 per cent of the mix, liquefied natural gas at 27 per cent and coal at 26 per cent.

Japan's Federation of Electric Power Companies, whose members include the 10 main power monopolies, and 25 other firms said on Friday they had voluntarily set a goal to curb CO2 emissions per 1 kilowatt of power by 35 per cent from 2013 levels to around 0.37 kg in 2030.

By installing fossil fuel-fired plants using the best available technology, the power companies see a potential to reduce CO2 emissions by as much as 11 million tonnes a year, they said.

The Paris summit in November aims to finalise an agreement as part of efforts to limit the global average temperature rise to 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) above pre-industrial levels.