Iron & steel in Japan: emitters, CO2 & carbon value

32 tracked facilities, ≈101,526,243 t CO2/yr combined — here are the largest, what that CO2 is worth at current prices, and the sector's reduction pathway. Full sector pathway: decarbonizing iron & steel.

The numbers

Iron & steel in Japan at a glance

Metric	Value	Note
Facilities tracked	32	with CO2 estimates
Total est. CO2	101,526,243 t/yr	Climate TRACE 2023
Average per facility	3,172,695 t/yr
Gross value (full price)	€7,651M/yr	all tracked CO2 × €75.36/t CBAM ref — before free allocation / EU-bound share

Carbon pricing here: GX-ETS voluntary phase; mandatory from FY2026, carbon levy from 2028. Tokyo cap-and-trade exists locally. Current benchmark: no liquid market price. Full country page: carbon price in Japan.

Largest emitters

Top 10 iron & steel CO2 emitters in Japan

#	Facility	Owner	t CO2/yr (est. 2023)	Indicative value
1	JFE West Japan Works (Fukuyama) steel plant	JFE Steel Corp	19,085,123	€1,438.3M
2	JFE West Japan Works (Kurashiki) steel plant	JFE Steel Corp	13,044,457	€983.0M
3	Nippon East Japan Works (Kimitsu) steel plant	Nippon Steel Corp	12,921,079	€973.7M
4	Nippon Kyushu Works (Oita Area, Oita) steel plant	Nippon Steel Corp	11,600,217	€874.2M
5	Nippon East Japan Works (Kashima) steel plant	Nippon Steel Corp	9,268,493	€698.5M
6	Kobe Kakogawa Works steel plant	Kobe Steel Ltd	7,135,332	€537.7M
7	Nippon Nagoya steel plant	Nippon Steel Corp	6,948,397	€523.6M
8	JFE East Japan Works (Chiba) steel plant	JFE Steel Corp	5,434,534	€409.5M
9	Nippon Kyushu Works (Yawata Area, Tobata) steel plant	Nippon Steel Corp	4,653,899	€350.7M
10	Nippon Kansai Works (Wakayama Area, Wakayama) steel plant	Nippon Steel Corp	4,074,166	€307.0M

Climate TRACE satellite estimates via IndustryAtlas — modelled, not verified; some entries aggregate clusters. Corrections welcome.

⬇ This table (CSV)🖨 PDF for management

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Same industry, other countries

Iron & steel in China

1,317,489,541 t CO2/yr

Iron & steel in India

188,820,298 t CO2/yr

Iron & steel in Russian Federation

86,914,845 t CO2/yr

Iron & steel in South Korea

81,601,450 t CO2/yr

Iron & steel in United States

59,333,385 t CO2/yr

Other industries in Japan

Oil refining in Japan

26,447,233 t CO2/yr

Cement in Japan

23,285,241 t CO2/yr

Petrochemicals (steam cracking) in Japan

8,814,008 t CO2/yr

Chemicals in Japan

1,802,420 t CO2/yr

FAQ

Questions

How many iron & steel facilities does Japan have with tracked emissions?

32 facilities carry satellite-based CO2 estimates in our dataset (Climate TRACE 2023), totalling ≈101,526,243 t CO2/yr.

What is the largest iron & steel emitter in Japan?

JFE West Japan Works (Fukuyama) steel plant — ≈19,085,123 t CO2/yr (est. 2023). Estimates are modelled, not verified declarations.

What would this CO2 cost at the CBAM price?

The gross full-price value is ≈€7,651M/yr (all tracked CO2 × €75.36/t CBAM ref). Actual CBAM liability is far smaller: it falls only on emissions embedded in EU-bound exports, and only on the phased-in share — 2.5% in 2026 rising to 100% by 2034 (Reg (EU) 2023/956).

How this page is built: heat-loss figures follow ASTM C680 / ISO 12241 (the method behind our public calculators); facility emissions from Climate TRACE & EU ETS verified data across 30,000+ industrial sites; the 2026–2034 schedule is Regulation (EU) 2023/956, not a forecast. Published by Inzonex Research. Spotted an error? Tell us — we correct on evidence.