NEW DELHI -- Japan's shinkansen bullet train technology is the leading candidate for a planned 500km railway linking the western city of Mumbai and the state of Gujarat to the north, the first step in India's extensive high-speed rail project.

The Indian and Japanese governments initiated a joint feasibility study in late 2013, and a final report is to be released in July 2015.

The Japan International Cooperation Agency, which is participating in the study, told participants at a Feb. 28 high-speed rail seminar in New Delhi that the report will likely recommend that Japan's bullet train technology is the most appropriate option.

A top official in India's Ministry of Railways told The Nikkei that Japan's technology is the world's best and that India hopes to work on this project with Japan.

The Japanese contingent at the seminar included Issei Kitagawa, state vice-minister of transport; Yuji Fukasawa, executive vice president at East Japan Railway, which hopes to win orders for the project as part of a consortium of Japanese companies; Tadaharu Ohashi, a counselor at Kawasaki Heavy Industries; and top Hitachi officials.

David Fuller's view

Japan and India are natural allies, not least because of their differences. 

Japan is a high-tech nation with a small population, while India has over a billion people with a wide range of skills and a rapidly growing middleclass.

Both countries can only benefit from a closer relationship.