At a high-level meeting of the Indo-Japan Joint Committee on the bullet train project on Friday, the Japanese side is said to have generally appreciated the progress made so far. But the government suffered a bit of an embarrassment to when the Japs, known for their deadly efficiency, asked when would the managing director of the National High-Speed Rail Corporation be appointed since it remains headless. The search committee headed by Cabinet Secretary interviewed the shortlisted candidates a long time ago. The Chairman, Railway Board, who is also part of the search committee, assured the Japanese side that it will happen very shortly.