EDITOR'S note:
AS the Shanghai World Expo draws to a close, Hiroshi Tsukamoto, general commissioner of the Japan Pavilion and chairman of the Expo Steering Committee, spoke to Shanghai Daily reporter Ni Tao on Tuesday about the spiritual legacies from this Expo and what they mean for "Better City, Better Life."
This is the second of two such overview interviews. The first was published on October 1.

Q: How has the Shanghai World Expo contributed to a low-carbon way of life?
A: The biggest low-carbon contribution is the use of environment-friendly tools. A good example is the electric bus. The high penetration of electric buses is key to introducing a low-carbon society at this Expo. And I heard they will also be used in the upcoming Asian Games in Guangzhou.

Q: Which ideas and visions showcased at the Expo impressed you most?
A: The most impressive thing for me that showcased "Better City, Better Life" is Shanghai itself.
There are two examples. One is the total renovation of the Bund. The Bund was always under construction before the Expo. But in the run-up to the event, all construction work ceased there and the Bund was set aglow at night by very beautiful neon lights.
The second example is infrastructure, most notably transportation. The Municipal Government of Shanghai has extended the metro and you now have 13 metro lines (Ed: that includes those still under construction). Shanghai now has one of the longest subway networks in the world.
Inside the Expo, every pavilion is appealing to the concept of "Better City, Better Life," especially in the Urban Best Practices Area.

Q: What are the implications for future urban life of new technologies and concepts showcased at the Japan Pavilion?
A: There are two implications. One is water-cleaning technology. Water will be one of the most valuable resources in the future and sanitation thus becomes very important. In China great efforts have been made to clean up its waters. The other day I visited Wuxi to see the Taihu Lake, which was somewhat contaminated. Now it becomes very clean. I really appreciate the Chinese government's efforts in tackling water pollution.
The second thing is robot technology, which we have showcased in our pavilion, not only for playing the violin to entertain visitors, but also to show that robots can assist our daily life. In the near future we hope robots can be utilized more.

Q: You cited your visit to Wuxi on the shoreline of Taihu Lake, which was severely contaminated in 2007 with a massive outbreak of blue-green algae. Could you describe the technological cooperation between China and Japan in tackling water pollution?
A: Water pollution and air pollution are some of the very challenges that Japan has also encountered. There is already a lot of cooperation between Japan and China in this field. You can visit the website of Japan's Ministry of Environment. There you'll find many agreements already signed and also many in the pipeline.

Q: Could you explain the theme of Japan's pavilion, "Harmony of the Hearts, Harmony of the Skills"?
A: Skills mean technologies, which are the most practical element of a brighter future. But at the same time those technologies should be utilized in harmony with our hearts. Too much technology-oriented thinking is not good. The main player in our life is the human being.
To build a good relationship between machines and humans, technologies such as robots should support, not dominate, our life. Too much dependence on technologies will cause problems. That is a message at our pavilion.

Q: Japan is at once a poster child of advanced technology and a deeply traditional, ritualized country. How does it reconcile modernization with its rich cultural heritage? Has the Expo helped?
A: I think China is now confronted with the similar situation ?? how to reconcile modernization and the traditional values. I visited Xi'an the other day, the capital of Imperial China. Over there strong efforts are being made to preserve the cultural heritage of the Tang Dynasty, such as the newly opened Daminggong Palace.
Many people visit the Expo for sightseeing. Here they can get a glimpse of the future society. But when we visit many Chinese provincial pavilions, they clearly show how important diversity is, how vital it is to preserve each province's distinct identity.
So "Better City, Better Life" does not only mean life for the future. To enjoy the traditional atmosphere is also very important and I feel that the recent efforts by Chinese people to keep their traditional cultural heritage intact are also common to other pavilions at this Expo.

Q: What can Shanghai learn from Japan in utilizing the Expo facilities after the event's close?
A: Basically I heard this Expo area will be used as a huge conference center. Moreover, the China Pavilion will stay and continue to be open after the Expo. Many people will be able to revisit the good practices highlighted at this Expo.
And in the coming year, China is preparing to have a big Expo museum and every country at this Expo will participate. These initiatives will preserve the good memories of the Expo.

Q: At the Aichi Expo in 2005, some pavilions were built using environment-friendly materials and after they were torn down, their carbon consumption had essentially amounted to zero. This experience is very instrumental to China. Could you elaborate?
A: In Japan, when we constructed the pavilions, we tried to use light materials and also recycled materials. After the facilities were dismantled, some of the materials would be reused.
At the Shanghai Expo, our Japanese Industry Pavilion has stuck to the concept of reuse and recycling. We'd like to see it dismantled, reused and recycled. That would be a perfect end to this Expo.

Q: At the Osaka Expo, the Japanese were learning to queue up properly. But at the Aichi Expo, they were already embracing the strictest garbage sorting. How big is the Expo factor in bringing about this change?
A: Two important things brought about this change. The first is the attitude of consumers. In Japan, at first all the Expo visitors were required to use a differentiation standard to divide the garbage. Under the category of recyclable resources ?? glass, metal, aluminum and steel ?? things that can be divided should be divided.
For China, you need to educate people in order to have a good recycling system. But it is very costly and takes time to implement. Japan did not do that suddenly. Gradually, gradually we did it. I'm quite confident Chinese people can do the same thing, considering the strong commitment you've demonstrated in tackling the pollution in Taihu Lake and also in the promotion of electric vehicles.

Q: What is the biggest intangible legacy of this Expo?
A: The biggest intangible legacy is that China is in harmony with the international community through good management at this Expo. I'm quite happy, as chairman of the Expo Steering Committee, to work with Chinese organizers.
At the event's beginning we were confronted with many challenges but after various discussions, they were always willing to improve the situation. So the key word at this Expo is "daily improvement." This kind of good management in cooperation with the international community is a great spiritual, intangible legacy.