An Osaka railway company is under fire after a train driver made an apologetic in-train announcement to Japanese passengers Monday morning for causing them “discomfort” due to the “number of foreign passengers on board.”

The announcement was made by a train driver on a limited Nankai Electric Railway airport express bound for Kansai International Airport at around 11:30 a.m. on Monday, Sankei Shimbun reported.

“We have many foreigners on board today. We apologize for causing you inconveniences,” the driver in his 40s said in Japanese.

The case surfaced after a Japanese female passenger, who was present at the time the announcement was made, inquired to a Nankai Electric Railway station staff member whether the announcement was in line with the company’s policy, shortly after she got off at Kansai Airport station.

According to Nankai Electric Railway representatives, the train driver told them he did not purposefully intend to make discriminatory comments, but made the announcement over concern of potential in-train trouble after he overheard a Japanese passenger saying he was “bothered because there were too many foreigners on board.”

The company apologized for the incident, saying that “it is incorrect to distinguish between passengers (based on nationality),” adding that they have verbally reprimanded the driver.

“Whether Japanese or foreign (nationals), the fact that they all are passengers doesn’t change,” company representatives said. “We will strive to prevent any similar occurrences in the future.”

© Japan Today