Vice ministers from three government ministries on Wednesday held their first meeting on promoting fuel cell technology in Japan.
They agreed to compile a report in May.
The vice ministers discussed progress on the development of fuel cells, which convert hydrogen and oxygen into electricity, and discussed how to push ahead with the technology in the future.
The Fuel Cell Project Team's report will highlight steps that the government can take to expedite getting fuel cells onto the market with an eye to securing budget allocations for such measures for fiscal 2003, according to Keiji Furuya, the industry vice minister.
Ideas aired during Wednesday's meeting include the need to better educate society about fuel cells by explaining them at schools, as well as putting them on exhibit where the public will see them at work, such as in buses or model homes, Furuya told a news conference after the gathering.
The group is to convene again in mid-March, when it will hear opinions from private sector firms that are conducting research on fuel cells, officials said.