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New Delhi: India on Friday rejected former Japanese Justice Minister Hideki Makihara’s claim that New Delhi was responsible for delays in the Mumbai-Ahmedabad high-speed rail project.

The Ministry of External Affairs described Makihara’s remarks as an “individual opinion” that was at “considerable variance with facts”.

Makihara, a member of Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party, had criticised the Indian side over its handling of negotiations for the Shinkansen bullet train project.

“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,” Makihara wrote.

He also criticised the Indian minister responsible for the project and accused the Indian side of placing its own interests first.

“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. 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,” he added.

MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal dismissed the former Japanese minister’s allegations during a press briefing.

“We have seen the post. This is an individual opinion and is at considerable variance with facts. India-Japan discussions on Mumbai-Ahmedabad HSR are progressing well,” Jaiswal said.

The ministry later issued a written statement about the project’s progress. It said Japan would provide its E10 series train in the early 2030s as the model remained under development.

The MEA said construction had advanced rapidly and both countries had agreed to begin services with an Indian high-speed train.

“India-Japan discussions on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad high-speed train are progressing well. Japan will provide the E10 series train in the early 2030s. The train is still under development. Meanwhile, construction work has rapidly progressed. The first section will be opened in 2027. Therefore, both sides agreed to start the operations with the Indian high-speed train. The project execution is in line with the common goal of starting the high-speed train project at the earliest,” the statement read.

Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has said the first phase will start operations on August 15, 2027, with the Surat-Bilimora section opening first.