India responded on Friday to a statement by a former Japanese minister in which he blamed New Delhi for delaying the high-speed train project, describing it as an “individual opinion” in light of “a significant contradiction with the facts.”
Hideki Makihara, who’s who? The former Japanese justice minister and member of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party had blamed India for the delay in the Indo-Japan Shinkansen project.
“India’s Shinkansen project is something I was involved in myself, but what has stood out in international meetings and negotiations is the sheer recklessness of the Indian side, which has been repeated time and time again. They don’t keep promises, no matter what they are. And even if they make a promise, they immediately reverse it,” he wrote.
Makihara also blamed the minister in charge for being “terrible.”
“They kept pushing their own self-interest until the end. The minister in charge was particularly terrible – if the top man is like that, there is no way to get any decent dealings. To honor all the Japanese who have poured their hearts into this, I must say this: I feel 100% that the reason why this matter is not going ahead is entirely because of the Indian side,” he added.
Middle East Airlines responds
The Foreign Ministry rejected Hideki Makihara’s claims on Friday, saying it was an “individual opinion” and significantly contradicted the facts.
“We have seen the post. This is an individual opinion and is in stark contrast to the facts. Indo-Japan discussions on Mumbai-Ahmedabad HSR are progressing well,” MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said at a press conference.
Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnau announced that India will start operations of the first phase of its first bullet train service from August 15, 2027. Vaishnau said that the bullet rail corridor will be opened in phases, starting from the Surat-Billimora section.
In a written statement later, Middle East Airlines presented a progress report on the high-speed train project.
“Indo-Japan discussions on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad high-speed train are going well. Japan will introduce the E10 series train in early 2030. The train is still under development. At the same time, construction work has progressed rapidly. The first section will be opened in 2027. Therefore, both sides have agreed to start operations with the Indian high-speed train. The implementation of the project is in line with the common goal of starting the high-speed train project as soon as possible,” the MEA statement said.
