TSURU, Japan (AP) — US Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood took a ride yesterday on the fastest passenger train in the world, a Japanese maglev, as part of Tokyo's sales pitch for billions of dollars in high-speed train contracts from the US.

Washington is attempting to drive development of a new train network that will eventually span the country, but the US has almost no domestic experience or technology. Japan, with one of the most advanced train systems in the world, is an eager seller, though it has had scant success with exports so far.

LaHood, who in the past few months has also ridden high-speed trains in Spain and France, said he was impressed with Japanese technology but that was only part of the equation. He said potential manufacturers need to "come to America, find facilities to build this equipment in America, and hire American workers".

"It's getting America into the high-speed rail business, but it's also putting Americans to work building the infrastructure," he said.

Japan's high-speed rail services are among the most advanced in the world, with hundreds of trains running each day and an average annual delay that is typically less than a minute. No passengers have died from a collision or derailment in nearly a half century of service. The only derailment was during a major earthquake in 2004.

But unlike in Europe, where border crossings and interoperability are prerequisites for doing business, Japan's trains have been developed on an island with homegrown technology. Other Japanese industries with enviable but non-compatible technologies, like its mobile phone operators, haven't fared well in repeated attempts to go abroad.

The US in January awarded $8 billion to jump-start 13 regional projects, and is due to give $2.5 billion more this year, he said. But such projects will need hundreds of billions more before they're completed, and suitors from around the world — including Bombardier Inc. of Canada, Alstom SA of France, Talgo SA of Spain, Hyundai Rotem Co. of South Korea and Kawasaki Rail Car Inc. of Japan — have already promised to build or expand in the US if given contracts.

Earlier this year, German conglomerate Siemens AG said it bought 20 acres next to an existing light rail plant in California in anticipation of future high-speed rail projects.

Eager to avoid being left behind, Tokyo officials have worked closely with Japanese train operators to win business in the US. Last month Japanese Transport Minister Seiji Maehara travelled to the US with company executives.

LaHood arrived in Tsuru, a quiet town in the shadow of Mt. Fuji about 50 miles west of Tokyo, and went straight to the Maglev Test Line, where the Japanese are developing record-setting technology for use on an upcoming Tokyo-Osaka route. LaHood rode a small test train that hit speeds of 311 miles per hour during a 27-minute run, calling it "very fast" afterward.

Unlike standard trains that ride along on metal rails, magnetic levitation trains hover above rails held up by powerful magnets. The Japanese version was developed mainly by operator JR Central. A similar system is currently in commercial use in Shanghai.

The train set a speed record for a passenger train of 361 mph in 2003, which JR officials say still holds today.