maeda manages his staff from this office.king in the aftermath of the disaster, he was exposed to the maximum permissible amount of radiation. health and safety restrictions prevent him from working at daiichi until next year. >> someone had to restore power at the daiichi plant. i just acted because it was my duty. >> every day about 7,000 workers helped decommission the reactors. in heavy protective clothing they carry out such tasks as collecting and storing contaminated water. however, the decommissioning work is expected to take up to 40 years to complete. keeping stress levels down and morale up is proving difficult. maeda says a change of mood has definitely come over his staff. one worker is finishing his shift. this man began working at the plant before the accident occurred. he heard that many workers don't talk about their jobs, even to their family members. >> translator: my relatives don't like it. i don't mind if people say your work must be difficult, but some are really shocked and ask if i'm really free of ra

maeda knows he cannot rest on his laurels.e company is looking to the countryside, where home electric appliances are still rare. this village is about a three-hour drive from yangon. the power grid hasn't reached here yet. more than 2/3 of myanmar's 50 million people are living in places like this village. darkness falls after sunset. candles wink on. panasonic has developed solar lanterns for villages without electricity. the battery for the lantern is recharged with a solar panel. they provide light for up to 90 hours. 10-year-old sun yin ohn lives in the village. he goes to school during the day. once home he helps out by drawing water from a well and watering his family's fields. at night he studies. that's where the solar lantern comes in. it allows him to study after the sun goes down. >> translator: before the lantern arrived i worked with candlelight. but is it wasn't good. now i can study longer. >> reporter: panasonic began promoting the lanterns two years ago. the devices provided free or sold to volunteer groups.