WASHINGTON (Kyodo) Central Japan Railway Co. (JR Tokai) Chairman Yoshiyuki Kasai urged the United States on Monday to choose the state-of-the-art N700 bullet train system for its proposed high-speed passenger rail network.
Kasai said he made the appeal during a meeting with U.S. Transportation Secretary Raymond LaHood.
The JR Tokai chief said he told LaHood the N700 series is the best of the high-speed rail systems now available from various manufacturers worldwide.
He quoted LaHood as saying Washington is keen to generate U.S. jobs via its selection of a high-speed rail system. Kasai said he responded that the N700 series would have considerable positive effects on employment.
President Barack Obama has recently called for the country to move to a system of high-speed rail travel that would ease congestion and air pollution as well as save energy.
In a related lecture Kasai gave to officials in the U.S. public transportation sector, he briefed them on performance of the N700 in connection with its speed, safety and environmentally friendly features.
Kasai called on the officials to adopt the N700 technology as an integral system, including rail infrastructure-related machines and their control systems as well as coaches.
Describing reactions from the U.S. side, Kasai said, "My perception is that the U.S. has just started considering a high-speed rail network and it is necessary for us to make a sustained effort."
Monday's meetings "mark just the beginning of that effort," he added.
"We must step forward" in marketing efforts, rather than letting the Japanese government do it, he said.