Foreigners are 'sneaky thieves,' governor says

YOKOHAMA (Kyodo) Kanagawa Gov. Shigefumi Matsuzawa qualified his assertion Sunday that "all" foreigners are "sneaky thieves," stating instead that only "some" are.

Matsuzawa was delivering a campaign speech in support of a candidate running in the Nov. 9 House of Representatives general election near a railway station in Kawasaki when he made the remarks in question.

"Foreigners are all sneaky thieves. As Tokyo Gov. (Shintaro) Ishihara has cracked down on them, they have flowed into Kanagawa Prefecture," he said.

When asked to elaborate on his comments by reporters at the scene, the governor said he had wanted to say "some" foreigners instead of "all."

He added that the "some" foreigners to which he was referring were foreigners who entered Japan on working and student visas.

He made the remarks while stating that local crimes involving foreigners, gangs and juveniles are on the increase.