Bullet train could be game-changer for Bengaluru, say Japanese officials

Bengaluru: With high-speed rail projects planned to connect Bengaluru with Chennai and Hyderabad, Japanese officials said the initiative will transform not just travel, but also business and economic activity.

Watanabe Ikko, director for India, trade policy bureau of Japan's ministry of economy, trade and industry (METI), compared it to the Tokyo–Nagoya bullet train. "Travel time dropped from seven hours to one and a half, boosting business transactions. Companies like Toyota could access Tokyo markets easily — similarly, Bengaluru-based businesses will benefit," he said at the Japan–India Mobility Summit 2026.


Japan has already supported Bengaluru through JICA loans for Namma Metro Phase 2. Takayama Naritoshi, deputy director-general for Trade, METI, stressed transit-oriented development (TOD) and multimodal connectivity to reduce dependence on private vehicles. He said India's digital strengths — integrated journey planning, unified ticketing, and data-driven management — can enhance TOD and improve reliability across transport modes.

S Selvakumar, principal secretary for Karnataka's commerce and industries department, highlighted the state's potential for mobility innovation, citing over 800 R&D centres, global capability hubs, and policies like the Clean Mobility Policy 2025–2030. "Karnataka can deepen engagement with Japanese industry to accelerate next-generation mobility solutions," he said.

NITI Aayog member VK Saraswat urged collaboration beyond infrastructure toward technology co-creation in hydrogen mobility, smart transport, next-generation vehicles, and integrated mobility platforms, noting that India and Japan can jointly advance sustainable, decarbonised mobility solutions.