Speedier family baths could help Japanese cut their burgeoning¹ energy consumption and reduce greenhouse gas emissions², a government report said on Tuesday.

Japanese households consume less energy than their US and European counterparts, but consumption has been sharply increasing --jumping 44 percent between 1990 and 2005 -- a big reason the environment white paper zeroed in on ways for people to save energy.

Families should not only shorten their daily showers by a minute -- a common recommendation in the West -- but should try to take baths in quick succession, the report said.

Japanese usually wash outside the tub and then soak in hot water, which is then reused by the next family member. That means the water must be reheated each time if the next person in line dawdles³.

Hot water use in bathrooms and kitchens accounted for 39 percent of energy consumed in Japanese homes, a stark⁴ contrast to European households, where energy is mainly used for air-conditioning and heating, the report said.

Japan is one of the world's most energy-efficient countries, but greenhouse gas emissions from companies and households have been on the rise in recent years, prompting the government to raise public awareness⁵ for global warming.

Climate change will be a major agenda on at the G8 summit Japan will be hosting in early July.

日本政府于本周二发布的一份报告称，国民缩短洗澡时间有助于减少日本不断增长的能源消耗量及温室气体的排放。

日本家庭的能耗量一直低于美国和欧洲，但近年来却急剧增长，1990年至2005年间就增长了44%。这也是政府的环境白皮书关注人们节能方式的重要原因。

白皮书指出，日本家庭不仅要学习西方人每天洗澡时间缩短一分钟的做法，盆浴时也要行动迅速。

日本人洗澡时习惯在浴缸外把身体冲洗干净，再到浴缸的热水里泡，不过由于这一浴缸的水要供全家人轮流使用，所以这就意味着如果下一个人洗澡时磨磨蹭蹭，浴缸里的水每次都要重新加热。

报告指出，浴室和厨房的热水能耗量占日本家庭总能耗的39%，这与欧洲家庭的能耗方式截然不同。欧洲家庭的能耗主要用于空调和供暖。

日本是世界上最节能的国家之一，但近年来企业和家庭的温室气体排放量不断增长，这一状况促使政府采取措施提高民众对全球变暖问题的关注。

气候变化将为七月初在日本召开的八国峰会的主要议题。