India to blame for Bullet Train project delay, says former Japanese minister
A former Japanese minister has blamed an Indian minister and officials over an alleged "delay" in the ambitious Mumbai-Ahmedabad Bullet Train project. Japanese Justice Minister
A former Japanese minister has blamed an Indian minister and officials over an alleged "delay" in the ambitious Mumbai-Ahmedabad Bullet Train project. Japanese Justice Minister Hideki Makihara, on Friday, accused them of "sheer recklessness", alleging that officials repeatedly failed to honour commitments and pursued "self-interest" during negotiations on the Shinkansen project. Makihara's claims came after an opinion piece in a Japanese news outlet said that the project had diverged from the original Shinkansen model. Read Full Story Makihara claimed in a post on X that the lack of progress in India's flagship high-speed rail corridor was "entirely on the Indian side". The first section of India's inaugural high-speed rail corridor, the Mumbai–Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail (MAHSR), is expected to begin phased passenger operations on August 15, 2027. The Mumbai-Ahmedabad corridor uses Japanese Shinkansen technology and is partially funded by the Japanese government's Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). Makihara on X posted his comments in response to an opinion piece on a Tokyo-based business news portal by Isao Tsujimura, a senior Japanese railway engineer and Delhi-based metro vehicle consultant, on July 15, who argued that India's first bullet train project has significantly diverged from the original Japanese Shinkansen model. Tsujimura alleged that Indian officials privately knew that the target of starting operations in 2023 was unrealistic. Amid Makihara's allegations, news agency ANI, citing Indian government sources, reported that the discussions between India and Japan on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad high-speed train were progressing well. In fact, India's Bullet Train project has recently crossed several construction milestones. The post by Makihara on X is in Japanese, and we have reported on the basis of the English translation. INDIAN OFFICIALS DON'T KEEP PROMISE, SAYS E JAPANESE MINISTER Reacting to Tsujimura's article on Tokyo-based business publication Toyo Keizai Online, Makihara, who briefly served as Japan's Justice Minister in 2024, wrote on X that his own experience with the project matched Tsujimura's assessment.
"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," Makihara said. He alleged that Indian officials routinely failed to honour commitments. "They just don't keep promises, no matter what. Even if they make a promise, they flip it right away," the former Japanese minister added. Makihara further accused Indian authorities of negotiating solely in their own interest. "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," he said. "For the honour 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." Makihara also referred to Tsujimura's opinion piece and remarked that even Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's July 2026 visit to New Delhi had failed to produce meaningful progress on the issue. However, India Today Digital tried to check the details of Mahikara's involvement in the project in India, and found no concrete evidence. WHY IS JAPAN TALKING ABOUT THE INDIAN SHINKANSEN PROJECT NOW? Japanese Minister Makihara's comments were triggered by an opinion piece authored by Tsujimura on July 15, who currently lives in Delhi and works as a metro vehicle consultant. Although the Japanese engineer clarified that he has no professional role in the Mumbai-Ahmedabad project, Tsujimura said he has closely monitored its development. Writing after Japanese Prime Minister Takaichi's July 1-3 visit to India, Tsujimura said discussions with her Indian counterpart, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, covered several strategic issues, including the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail corridor.
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