E10 Shinkansen Trains to Be Introduced to India in Early 2030s, Ishiba, Modi Confirm at Joint Summit

A plan for Japan to introduce E10 Series Shinkansen trains as part of a high-speed rail project in western India was confirmed by Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi at Friday’s Japan-India summit meeting.

The E10 Series is currently under development by East Japan Railway Co., and their introduction in India is expected in the early 2030s.

With a population of over 1.4 billion, the world’s largest, India is experiencing prolonged high growth. India is expected to overtake Japan in terms nominal gross domestic product this year, according to International Monetary Fund projections.

“India, with its huge market, and Japan, with its advanced technology and high-performance products, have a mutually complementary relationship with high potential,” said a senior official at the Economy, Trade and Industry Ministry.

This would be only the second time for Shinkansen trains to be exported, following ones that have been used by Taiwan High Speed Rail Corp. since 2007.

Not just limited to India’s west, its government has set out a plan to develop a high-speed rail network nationwide. In addition to the Japan companies manufacturing the train cars, the plan is expected to also impact manufacturers of railway tracks, overheads wires and signaling systems.

This will not only build momentum for more public-private efforts to export Shinkansen trains overseas but also strengthen economic ties between Japan and India.

At the India-Japan Economic Forum held in Tokyo on Friday in conjunction with the Japan-India summit talks, it was announced that about 170 memoranda had been signed between companies and other entities from both countries in fields including automobiles, semiconductors and space.

“Based on the solid relationship between Japan and India, strengthening partnership and cooperation with an eye toward the future is becoming increasingly important,” said Yoshinobu Tsutsui, chairman of Keidanren (Japan Business Federation).

Japan’s exports to India rose to about ¥2.6 trillion in 2024, and imports from India climbed to ¥974 billion. However, China’s exports to India are seven times higher, and its imports are 25 times higher.

According to the Japan External Trade Organization, there are about 5,200 bases of operations belonging to Japanese companies in India, with companies like Suzuki Motor Corp. holding high market shares. Chinese companies have a total of more than 30,000.

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