Why is President Obamas bows to the Japanese Emperor drawing fire from critics?”
Obama Draws Fire for Bow to Japanese Emperor President Obama’s deep bow to Japanese Emperor Akihito on Saturday may not have violated any official protocol, but critics of the presidential act of deference nevertheless say he’s guilty of bad form. The incident followed Obama’s dip to King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia in April, which the White House said was not a bow despite the criticism that followed. But in Japan, the White House could not argue with a photograph that showed him bent at a nearly 90-degree angle while shaking the hand of the emperor, as Empress Michiko smiled faintly next to him. Instead of denying the gesture, an administration official defended it, telling Politico.com that Obama “observes protocol” and that the greeting “enhanced both the position and the status of the U.S. relative to Japan” — where a bow is just another version of a handshake. Read more at the link below.
President Obama has been branded the ‘Groveller-in-Chief’ after giving an exaggerated bow to Japan’s emperor Akihito – the son of the ruler who authorised the 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor. Coming so soon after Remembrance Day, the deep bow caused an outcry in the U.S. While it was seen as a sign of respect in Japan, Mr Obama was attacked in America for ‘bowing and scraping’ to a foreign leader, particularly a Japanese one. Wartime scars are still raw for many Americans. The 6ft 2in President’s mark of deference to the 5ft 5in emperor in Japan on Saturday dominated discussion in the U.S. media about the trip. One post by a reader on the Los Angeles Times website read: ‘The Groveller-in-Chief strikes again.’ Another said: ‘Will this man ever stop bowing and scraping to foreign leaders?’ White House aides said Mr Obama had been simply following protocol. However, critics pointed to Michelle Obama patting the Queen on the back during their Buckingham Palace visit as an example of the First
President Obama’s deep bow to Japanese Emperor Akihito on Saturday may not have violated any official protocol, but critics of the presidential act of deference nevertheless say he’s guilty of bad form. The incident followed Obama’s dip to King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia in April, which the White House said was not a bow despite the criticism that followed. But in Japan, the White House could not argue with a photograph that showed him bent at a nearly 90-degree angle while shaking the hand of the emperor, as Empress Michiko smiled faintly next to him.
