The head of a Tokyo pension office has reportedly been disciplined after he tweeted a number of remarks critical of South Koreans. 

According to Japan’s Kyodo News on Thursday, the Japan Pension Service has suspended Yukihisa Kasai for two months. 

Kasai, the head of the service’s branch office in Tokyo's Setagaya Ward, called South Koreans “cowardly people with the characters of those of a subject country,” arguing Korean residents in Japan should be purged from Japan and new entries be refused. 

After his tweets sparked controversy, he apologized to his employer, saying he made inappropriate remarks. 

According to the Japan Pension Service, he began posting anti-Korean tweets last year, including during on-duty hours. He was known to have said he continued posting such tweets because he was encouraged by the favorable responses.