A Meeting of Equals
So here’s the picture of President Obama bowing before Emperor Akihito of Japan. It’s been making the rounds on the blogs. Here’s my take: President Obama should not have bowed. He is the head of state meeting another head of state. This botched bow (when bowing, don’t touch) showed deference so in a sense, America was showing that it was positioning itself in a lower standing to that of Japan. The State Dept. really needs to start briefing the president on proper protocol because he keeps fucking it up. He should have only done what the Emperor could have reciprocated. In this case, a shaking of hands and a head nod would have sufficed.
Comments
It's a good thing that the Japanese tend to be understanding of 'gaijin' oopses. :P