India and Japan have signed the documents for the fourth tranche of ₹18,000 crore loan by Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) for India’s bullet train from Mumbai to Ahmedabad.
The documents of the loan were signed during Japan Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s two-day visit to India. “The high speed train project is also part of the technology cooperation between India and Japan,” said India’s Foreign Secretary Vinay Mohan Kwatra on March 20 in New Delhi.
India is targeting 2026 for the Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train to start operations. The high speed train will run at over 350 km per hour over a 508 kilometer route. The heads of India and Japan also discussed cooperation in defence manufacturing during the visit. “One of the regions of cooperation between the two countries in defence is likely to be co-innovation and co-design. Investment collaboration was discussed for defence,” Kwatra said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi invited Japanese companies to harness the manufacturing ecosystem for defence. “It was discussed that defence manufacturing should not be restricted for regional use, but also for exports,” the foreign secretary said.
During his visit, Kishida also delivered the 41st Sapru House lecture in New Delhi. He said that Japan will extend cooperation for free and open Indo-Pacific (FOIP). India and Japan also signed documents on renewal of higher level Japanese language learning.
