A train driver in Osaka, Japan who apologised to passengers for having 'many foreigners on board' has escaped with a verbal warning.
Passengers aboard a Monday morning Nankai Electric airport express train were surprised to hear the driver make an in-train announcement that "We have many foreigners on board today. We apologise for causing you inconveniences.”
A Japanese female passenger reported the announcement to station staff and asked whether it was in line with company policy, Japan Today reported.
The driver subsequently told the company he had decided to make the apology after overhearing two passengers complain about the number of foreigners on the train.
Nankai Electric has apologised for the incident, saying “it is incorrect to distinguish between passengers [based on nationality]," and that the driver had not meant any offence.
The driver has now been verbally reprimanded.