There have been angry calls to end nuclear power in Japan and public uproar was reported at a hearing on energy policy.

The news follows the nuclear meltdown at the Fukushima power plant last year, which led to around 116,000 people being evacuated from the affected areas and also raised fears of radiation exposure.

The Government-sponsored Fukushima hearing aimed to gather views on nuclear power’s role in the nation’s energy mix and majority wanted Japan to end its dependence on nuclear by 2030.

According to a Japanese national paper, Endo, one of the people at the hearing said: “The crisis has not ended yet. It’s completely wrong to restart nuclear reactors under such circumstances.

“Those who can’t take responsibility (for the crisis) shouldn’t be so quick to talk about restarting reactors.”

Nuclear power provided a third of Japan’s energy needs before the disaster and the country had planned to keep it as a central source of energy.

The Government has planned 11 hearings throughout the country and is expected to finalise the energy policy later this year.