Get out of nuclear power and do it fast, angry Fukushima residents told Japanese government officials over the weekend, at a public hearing on energy policy held in an area ravaged by a nuclear disaster that has whipped up opposition to atomic power. The Fukushima hearing, the ninth out of 11 planned nationwide, sought to gather views on nuclear power's role in the nation's energy mix as the government struggles to cover a power shortfall by that could threaten economic growth. Meltdowns at Tokyo Electric Power Co.'s Fukushima nuclear plant after an earthquake and tsunami on March 11 last year caused radiation to spew over large areas of Fukushima, forcing more than 160,0000 people to flee. In the following months, all of Japan's nuclear plants were shut for safety checks. Two reactors resumed operations last month. Goshi Hosono, the minister in charge of the response to the nuclear crisis, was heckled as he apologized for the suffering of people in Fukushima. "I will never forget what I heard today, and I'm determined to do everything I can," he said. Fukushima prosecutors launched an investigation after more than 1,000 residents filed criminal complaints against 15 former and present Tokyo Electric Power officials, including former company president Masataka Shimizu, and 18 government officials, including Nuclear Safety Commission head Haruki Madarame, a lawyer for the group, Hiroyuki Kawai, told Reuters. Kawai said Tokyo prosecutors had launched a separate investigation. A panel of experts appointed by parliament concluded last month that the disaster could have been prevented and that failure to take precautions was the result of "collusion" among the utility, regulators and the government. "After reading the report by the parliament-appointed panel, prosecutors could not stand idly by," Kawai said. Japan met about a third of its energy needs with nuclear power before the disaster and had plans to boost that share to more than half, in part, to combat global warming. Now, three options that the government has put on the table are to phase out nuclear power completely as soon as possible, aim for a 15% share of the power supply by 2030, or a 20%-25% share by the same date. But commentators said it would be hard for the government to ignore the findings as 17 months after the world's worst nuclear accident since Chernobyl, many still live in fear and thousands hired to dismantle the Fukushima plant face decades of grueling and dangerous work. Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda's decision to restart two reactors in Japan's western manufacturing hub to avoid blackouts galvanized the anti-nuclear movement. More than 100,000 people attended an anti-nuclear rally last month and protests staged weekly outside of Noda's residence have grown, with ordinary workers and mothers with children joining the crowds. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter