"When can we go home?" one emotional evacuee demanded as Masataka Shimizu, head of Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO), bowed deeply in apology.

Shimizu was visiting dozens of people living in an evacuation centre in Koriyama, 50 kilometres (30 miles) from the radiation-leaking plant in the country's northeast.

"TEPCO has always said, 'It's all right, it's all right.' Now what is it all right about?" one elderly woman was shown demanding of him on Asahi TV.

"TEPCO is a murderer," charged another evacuee, Kazuya Yokota, 63, who said his 95-year-old mother had died the previous day in the shelter.

"Eight friends of mine have died in evacuation centres," he protested to Shimizu, Jiji Press news agency reported.

"I have no more tears left to shed."

One man sat on his chair with his arms crossed, angrily ignoring Shimizu and other TEPCO officials as they knelt at his feet apologising.

For more than a month the families, like many others, have been living in a hall with their few possessions, their spaces on the floor marked out by low cardboard walls to give them a little privacy.

More than 85,000 people are living in emergency shelters after being forced to evacuate from their homes near the Fukushima Daiichi power plant, which was crippled by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami.

The plant, where reactor cooling systems were knocked out, has been hit by a series of explosions and fires, and radiation has leaked into the air, ground and sea in the world's worst nuclear disaster since Chernobyl 25 years ago.

Shimizu earlier Friday met Fukushima governor Yuhei Sato, who also vented his anger at the TEPCO head in front of journalists and television crews.

"Do you really understand how the (evacuated) people are feeling hungry and feeling bitter?" he told Shimizu, whom he had previously refused to meet.

Shimizu, bowing his head, told the governor: "We deeply apologise for causing the serious accident and causing trouble, both physically and mentally, to the people who have already been stricken by the natural disaster."

Sato, with tears in his eyes, showed Shimizu newspaper articles about some 6,000 children who have been forced to flee their homes, which they may not be able to return to for years.

"They have been scattered across the nation but they want to come home as early as possible. Do you understand how they feel?" Sato said, insisting that the plant should never reopen.

Shimizu said TEPCO would try to comply with requests for compensation.

"We will do our utmost to bring the nuclear plant accident under control and help the people return to normal life as soon as possible," he said.

A sombre Shimizu told reporters after the emotional meeting: "I must heed the judgement of the local people."

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