India on Friday, July 17, hit back at a former Japanese minister for his statement blaming New Delhi for the “delay” in the highly ambitious Mumbai-Ahmedabad Bullet Train project, calling it his “individual opinion”.
Addressing a press briefing, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said that the construction work on the project has rapidly progressed.
“We have seen the post. It is an individual opinion and at considerable variance with facts. India-Japan discussion on Ahmedabad-Mumbai high-speed rail is in fact progressing well. Japan will provide the E20 train series, but only in the early 2030s,” Jaiswal said.
He added, “The train in question is still in development. Meanwhile, construction work has rapidly progressed. The first section will be opened in 2027 itself. Therefore, both sides agreed to start the Indian high-speed train”.
Further, the MEA spokesperson stated that the “signalling equipment has been ordered accordingly and is in line with international specifications.”
He added that no Japanese offer was received in this context. “The project execution is in line with the common goal of starting the high speed train project at the earliest,” he noted.
The MEA’s reaction came after former Japanese Justice Minister Hideki Makihara earlier alleged that Indian officials repeatedly failed to honour commitments. He further claimed that they pursued “self-interest” during negotiations on the Shinkansen project.
“The Shinkansen project in India is something I was involved with myself, but what stood out in international meetings and negotiations was the sheer recklessness of the Indian side, repeated over and over. They just don’t keep promises, no matter what. Even if they make a promise, they flip it right away,” Hideki Makihara wrote on X.
インドでの新幹線計画は、私も関わったことがあるのですが、国際会議や交渉の場で繰り返されるインド人の無茶苦茶ぶりが際立っていました。とにかく約束を守らない。約束してもすぐにひっくり返す。自己利益を最後まで主張し続ける。特に担当大臣はひどく、一番上があれではまともな取引なんてできませ…
— 牧原秀樹 まきはらひでき (@hmakihara) July 14, 2026
He added, “They keep pushing their own self-interest right up to the very end. The minister in charge was especially awful—if the top guy’s like that, there’s no way to have any decent dealings. For the honor of all the Japanese folks who poured their hearts into this, I have to say it: I feel 100% that the reason this hasn’t moved forward is entirely on the Indian side”.