PM caps high-speed diplomacy in Japan

Prime Minister Narendra Modi joined his Japanese counterpart Shigeru Ishiba to travel on the Shinkansen bullet train from Tokyo to the northeastern city of Sendai on Saturday for a meeting with governors of Japan's prefectures aimed at enhancing collaboration with Indian states.

- Rezaul H Laskar

The train ride was of symbolic importance, reflecting the continued commitment of both countries to the Mumbai-Ahmedabad high speed rail project, which will use Shinkansen trains and has run into several delays and cost overruns.

The leaders described the Mumbai-Ahmedabad high speed rail venture as a flagship project of India and Japan and agreed to work on launching its operations at the earliest. Japan has offered to introduce the E10 Shinkansen, currently undergoing trials, in India in the early 2030s. Modi posted images on social media of the two PMs seated together in the train capable of running at speeds of up to 320 kmph.

On Friday, Modi and Ishiba decided to launch a next generation mobility partnership as part ofa road map for bilateral relations over the next decade, including high-speed rail systems with “Make in India” next generation rolling stock, operational control systems, and energy transition in the railway sector.