Indonesia's bullet train dilemma: Is it Japanese safety versus Chinese speed?
Indonesia could decide who will construct a high-speed train line as soon as next week, with Tokyo pushing its perfect safety record
Japanese safety and reliability versus Chinese construction speed - does Indonesia's imminent decision of who will build its first high-speed rail link come down to such a basic choice?
China's bidders would disagree, and railway authorities in Japan are far too circumspect to say it out loud, but there is an understanding among the latter that emphasising construction speed dramatically increases the possibility of disaster.
It is this dichotomy which is the focus of the battle between the two Asian powerhouses courting Indonesia for the right to construct a 150km high-speed railway line from Jakarta to Bandung, in West Java Province. A decision could come as soon as next week.
The strength of Japan's pitch may hinge on the fact that in more than 50 years of commercial service, there has never been a death on its famous "shinkansen" network caused by a fault in the train technology. The downside? Completion of the Indonesian line would not be until 2021.
China, on the other hand, is promising a 2018 completion date, while President Joko Widodo is still in office.
"From media reports, we have heard that the Indonesian government is placing emphasis on having the project completed before the inauguration of a new president in 2018," said Akihiro Kurihara, deputy director of the office of project development in the Japanese Ministry of Transport's Railway Bureau.