Modi coming in August to seal deal on bullet trains for India
India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi reviews the honor guard at the Government House in Bangkok on April 3. (Reuters)
Japanese and Indian officials are putting the final touches on a trip to Japan in late August by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi that will see Tokyo reaping a windfall sale of the latest Shinkansen bullet train technology to New Delhi.
East Japan Railway Co. is planning to start commercial operations of its new E10 series of bullet trains in fiscal 2030, which the government has already said it is willing to share with India, according to several diplomatic sources in the two nations.
'This would be the first case of the latest model being introduced simultaneously in Japan and another country,' said a government source in Tokyo.
During Modi's visit in late 2015 when Shinzo Abe was prime minister, it was agreed that India's first high-speed railway network would use Japanese technology.
Initially, the E5 series used on the Tohoku Shinkansen line was to be exported to India.
But then JR East in March announced plans to begin development of the next-generation E10 series of bullet trains, so officials approached their Indian counterparts about using that technology instead, according to sources.
Modi last visited Japan in May 2023 as one of the invited leaders to join the Group of Seven summit in Hiroshima.
One aim of the August trip is to set a pattern of reciprocal visits by the leaders of the two nations.
India will host the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, known as the Quad meeting, that groups Australia, India, Japan and the United States this autumn. Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba is expected to attend.
Arrangements are now being worked out for Modi and Ishiba in August to visit the plant in Miyagi Prefecture where the E10 prototype is being developed.
Modi will also get an update on a plan announced in 2022 by Ishiba's predecessor, Fumio Kishida, for Japan to invest 5 trillion yen ($34.2 billion) in India over a five-year period.
The two leaders are also expected to discuss cooperation in constructing a supply chain for semiconductors and other vital products.
Modi may visit China after his Japan trip to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit, according to diplomatic sources. Russia is also a member of that organization.
By visiting Japan prior to China, Modi will alleviate concerns in Tokyo that New Delhi, with its longstanding nonaligned diplomatic policy, is too dependent on Beijing, a government source said.
(This article was written by Nen Satomi in Tokyo and Takashi Ishihara in New Delhi.)
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