The operator of Japan's crippled Fukushima nuclear reactors said Thursday it had stopped selling a souvenir at the plant after facing a storm of online criticism saying it was inconsiderate.

Tokyo Electric Power (TEPCO) said it had pulled the plastic folders decorated with six photos of the battered nuclear plant from the shelves of an on-site store.

The company started selling the files -- three for 300 yen ($2.70) -- from August 1 after receiving a number of requests from workers and visitors wanting a souvenir of their visit.

Previously, visitors would take receipts from the store as a souvenir to show family and friends.

But the firm suspended sales of the folders on Wednesday as critics said it was inappropriate to sell a souvenir at the site of the worst nuclear accident in a generation.

"I don't understand these guys. This is beyond stupidity," said one Twitter user.

"Both sellers and buyers are rotten," said another.

A TEPCO spokesman said: "It is true that we received criticism, but that's not why we suspended the sales."

He added that the folders could return to store shelves in the future.

The Fukushima plant was battered by the 2011 killer tsunami-earthquake disaster, which prompted nuclear meltdowns and explosions that spewed radioactive materials across a vast farming region.

The accident forced local residents to evacuate their ancestral properties, many of them never to return.

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