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India Dismisses Ex-Japanese Minister's ‘Reckless’ Bullet Train Allegations

Public Lokpal
July 18, 2026

India Dismisses Ex-Japanese Minister's ‘Reckless’ Bullet Train Allegations


India has firmly dismissed allegations by former Japanese Justice Minister Hideki Makihara, who blamed New Delhi for delays in the Mumbai–Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail project and criticized India’s negotiating style as "reckless."

Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal stated Makihara’s remarks were a "personal opinion" at considerable variance with facts. Addressing claims that India abandoned Japanese safety technology, Jaiswal clarified that Japan did not submit a bid for the project's signaling system, which utilizes international ETCS Level 2 standards.

Furthermore, because Japan's next-generation Shinkansen E10 trains are still under development for the 2030s, India is collaborating with BEML to build indigenous high-speed trainsets to ensure the first 50-km operational stretch between Surat and Bilimora opens on schedule in August 2027.

Both nations maintain that official bilateral cooperation remains strongly on track.