KAJANG: Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has confirmed reports suggesting that Japanese firms have pulled out from participating in the Kuala Lumpur-Singapore High Speed Rail (HSR) project.
This comes as Malaysia only has three more days to meet the deadline to submit the request for information (RFI) concept proposals for the project.
However. the prime minister, who is also finance minister, did not elaborate on the government's next course of action.
"We will look at it. I just received the report," he said briefly after performing Friday prayers at the al-Hijrah mosque in Desa Pinggiran Putra here.
Japanese news outlet Kyodo News reported that Japanese companies, including the East Japan Railway Co, initially intended to use the Shinkansen bullet train system for the 350km rail project.
The firms, however, decided to not take part in the billion ringgit project.
Kyodo News, which quoted government and company sources, said it would be too risky for the firms to do so without financial assistance from the Malaysian government.
It was reported last year that the deadline for the RFI concept proposal for the project had been extended to this coming Monday.
This followed requests from international and local industry players, said MyHSR Corporation Sdn Bhd (MyHSR Corp).
As of last year,the company noted that over 60 per cent of the companies which had indicated their commitment to submit concept proposals for the project, had requested an extension as they required more time to form a consortium with potential partners and explore financial options, among others.