The 43-year-old former player-turned-pundit was on duty for Dutch channel NOS during their World Cup opener against Japan on Sunday, Jue 14th.
Japan ended up snatching a late draw thanks to an 89th-minute header from Crystal Palace midfielder Daichi Kamada from a corner.
Discussing Kamada's late equaliser Van der Vaart said on NOS: "The perfect corner is really very difficult to defend. This one came with the right speed, just over the five-yard line.
“With a bit of luck it would have gone in, but the corner was amazing. They (the Japanese players) do look alike, of course, maybe he (Van de Ven) thought that… That’s a joke, of course. I hardly dare say anything."
Per The Athletic, Van Der Vaart has now apologised for his comments, saying: “I understand that some people found my words hurtful. I sincerely regret that. If I have upset people because of this, I offer my apologies. That was never my intention.
“I take the reactions that have arisen seriously and understand that words can be interpreted differently. Therefore, I think it is important to make it clear that there was no racist or discriminatory intent behind my statement.
“I hope this explanation provides more clarity about my intentions and the context in which the remark was made. He did not explain what the intention behind his comments actually was."