‘Sheer recklessness of Indian side…’: Japan ex-minister blames New Delhi for bullet-train delay

Japan’s former justice minister Hideki Makihara wrote: ‘Despite Prime Minister Takaichi’s visit, the ‘Indian Shinkansen’ project failed, and Japan was excluded from the signalling system, which is crucial for safety’

Japan’s former justice minister Hideki Makihara has blamed India for prolonged delays in the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail (MAHSR) project aka bullet-train project, alleging that New Delhi’s handling of negotiations and policy decisions derailed the original plan centred on Japan’s Shinkansen technology and led to the exclusion of key Japanese systems from the ambitious bullet train corridor.

In a social media post, Makihara, a member of Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) who said he was personally involved in the project, criticised India’s approach during negotiations and claimed the country gradually moved away from Japanese rolling stock and signalling systems in favour of European technology and indigenous train development.Japan’s former justice minister Hideki Makihara has blamed India for prolonged delays in the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail (MAHSR) project aka bullet-train project, alleging that New Delhi’s handling of negotiations and policy decisions derailed the original plan centred on Japan’s Shinkansen technology and led to the exclusion of key Japanese systems from the ambitious bullet train corridor.

In a social media post, Makihara, a member of Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) who said he was personally involved in the project, criticised India’s approach during negotiations and claimed the country gradually moved away from Japanese rolling stock and signalling systems in favour of European technology and indigenous train development.

“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. 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 wrote in Japanese.

He further said, “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. No results from Prime Minister Takaichi’s visit either.“Despite Prime Minister Takaichi’s visit, the ‘Indian Shinkansen’ project failed, and Japan was excluded from the signalling system, which is crucial for safety,” he wrote.

According to Makihara, the 508-km Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train project, launched in 2017 with Japanese technology and financed through low-interest Japanese yen loans, has made progress on civil construction but faced repeated hurdles over the procurement of Japanese trains and signalling systems.

He alleged that negotiations stalled because the cost of Japan’s E5 Shinkansen trains exceeded India’s expectations, while India’s insistence on internationally certified signalling standards delayed the adoption of Japan’s DS-ATC system.