Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, Japanese counterpart review progress at Surat high-speed rail site

Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw and Japan's Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Hiromasa Nakano conducted a joint visit to the Surat High-Speed Rail (HSR) construction site on Friday. Earlier in the day, Nakano arrived at Surat airport and was accorded a traditional Garba welcome.

The two ministers reviewed key components of the project, including the track slab laying car and the track slab adjustment facility, and expressed satisfaction with the quality standards being followed, commending the rapid pace of construction. The visit reflects strong collaboration between India and Japan in implementing India's first High-Speed Rail corridor.

Last week, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw announced that the bullet train will enable passengers to travel from Surat to Mumbai in just one hour. "So practically from Surat you can go to Mumbai in 1 hour, complete your work & come back and have time with your family," the Minister said. India and Japan share a 'Special Strategic and Global Partnership'. Friendship between the two countries has a long history rooted in spiritual affinity and strong cultural and civilizational ties.

India-Japan relations were elevated to 'Global Partnership' in 2000, 'Strategic and Global Partnership' in 2006, and 'Special Strategic and Global Partnership' in 2014. Regular Annual Summits have been held between India and Japan since 2006. Notably, the first High Speed Rail (HSR) corridor is being implemented from Mumbai to Ahmedabad with technical and financial assistance from the Government of Japan.

Cooperation in the field of education is being conducted through partnerships between education and research institutions, student and teacher exchange, government scholarships, promotion of Japanese language education in India etc. In recent years, there has been a change in the composition of the Indian community with the arrival of many professionals, including IT professionals and engineers. The Nishikasai area in Tokyo is emerging as a "mini India". Their growing numbers had prompted the opening of three Indian schools. Around 51,000 Indians currently live in Japan. (ANI)