TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Sofyan Djalil, claimed that Japan has the best proposal for the Jakarta-Bandung bullet train project. On Friday, July 10, 2015, Japan's special envoy Hiroto Izumi had met with President Joko "Jokowi' Widodo to discuss the project.

"They came with a proposal that is quite technical, far better than the proposals we've received earlier," Sofyan said at the State Palace on Friday, July 10, 2015.

Sofyan said that the government will be conducting a fair evaluation based on appropriateness, so that the winner of the bullet train project tender will be based on a solid evaluation result. In addition to Japan, the government is also waiting for a proposal from China on a similar project.

Japanese investors have conducted a feasibility study on the bullet train project similar to the Shinkansen. They suggested the Indonesian government to form a special State-Owned Enterprise (SOE) operator to manage the bullet train.

The total investment required for this project, according to Japan's feasibility study, amounts to Rp 60 trillion. From the scheme offered by Japan, the Indonesian government is also requested to bear an 16 percent of the total value.

TIKA PRIMANDARI