Masayoshi Son, president of the telecommunications giant Softbank Corp, and provincial governors launched a council Wednesday to enhance the use of renewable energy in the wake of Japan's worst nuclear accident, DPA reported.
Of Japan's 47 prefectures, 36 decided to join Son's initiative, aimed at reducing Japan's reliance on nuclear power.
Son spearheaded the move after the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station was crippled by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami. The plant, 250 kilometres north-east of Tokyo, has leaked radioactive substances ever since.
In May, Son announced an 80-billion-yen (1-billion-dollar) project to put up 10 large-scale solar power plants in the country, offering to absorb most of the construction costs.
Son has said that if Japan builds solar panels on 20 per cent of unused or abandoned farmland, the country could generate about 50 gigawatts of electricity, equivalent to the output of 50 nuclear reactors.
Son said he hopes to raise the share of renewable energy such as solar, wind and geothermal power to about 20 per cent of the nation's electricity generation by 2020.