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Good practice Imported

Japan J-Credit Scheme — Forest Management Carbon Credits

Japan · Tokyo · See the Japan profile · See the Tokyo profile

Evidence: Observational / pre–post Top 33% 53/100 · Ask Evidence Copilot about this practice

Japan's tripartite government carbon credit scheme for forest management (METI, MOE, MAFF): 356 forestry projects registered by March 2024. Japan's forests removed 45 Mt CO2/yr in 2023; J-Credits link forest owners to domestic carbon markets and the GX-ETS compliance scheme.

356
Forestry projects registered (as of March 2024)
~45 million tonnes CO2/yr
Annual CO2 removal by Japan's forests (2023)
72 million tonnes CO2/yr
2040 target for forest CO2 removal (by 2040)
27%
Share of non-national forests eligible (as of March 2024)

Details

Maturity
Established
Promoter
Ministry of Economy Trade and Industry (METI) / Ministry of the Environment (MOE) / Ministry of Agriculture Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF)
Period
2013-present
Keywords
Temperate forest, carbon, forest management, J-Credit

Context

Japan's J-Credit Scheme was established in April 2013 by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI), the Ministry of the Environment (MOE) and the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF), merging two earlier schemes into a unified national standard for certifying greenhouse gas emission reductions and removals.

Activities

For forestry, J-Credit certifies carbon sequestration from improved management on privately and municipally owned forests enrolled in Japan's national Forest Management Planning System. Credits are verified by accredited third-party bodies and issued to project proponents, who may use them for compliance offset obligations under Japan's GX-ETS (Green Transformation Emissions Trading Scheme) or voluntary market retirement. A 2024 revision introduced provisions to incorporate biodiversity co-benefits as a supplementary metric.

Results

As of March 2024, 356 forestry-related projects had been registered, among the largest sector groups in the scheme. Japan's forests removed approximately 45 million tonnes of CO2 in 2023, and the government targets 72 Mt CO2/yr by 2040. Eligibility is currently limited to forests certified under the Forest Management Planning System, covering just 27% of non-national forests as of March 2024 — a scale barrier the government is working to reduce.

Implementation
Indicative cost
High (€500k–€5M)
Time to results
Long (> 3 years)
Staffing & skills
Tripartite government secretariat (METI, MOE, MAFF), Accredited third-party verification bodies, Forest owners/managers enrolled in the national Forest Management Planning System

Conditions for success

  • Enrollment in Japan's national Forest Management Planning System as an eligibility prerequisite
  • Third-party verification for credit integrity
  • Demand from compliance buyers under the GX-ETS to sustain credit prices

Common failure modes

  • Eligibility limited to only 27% of non-national forests, a significant scale barrier
  • Biodiversity co-benefits remain optional/supplementary rather than routinely certified

Where it fits

Governance type
national tripartite government scheme
Scale
national, 356 registered forestry projects
Income level
high-income country (Japan)

Commonly funded by

National / regional programmes

Indicative funding routes for practices of this type — always check each programme's current calls and eligibility rules.

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Data sources

Where this practice's information was retrieved from, and when.

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