Newsmaker
Obama's bow in Japan sparks criticism from right
(Agencies)
Updated: 2009-11-18 01:31
An online video posted by the University of Connecticut College Republicans juxtaposes a series of upright handshakes between Akihito and other world leaders with Obama's low bow before the emperor.
Andrew Malcolm, in a blog on The Los Angeles Times Web site, asks: "How low will the new American president go for the world's royalty?"
Obama's bow was compared with photos of former Vice President Dick Cheney giving Akihito a straight-backed handshake and Gen. Douglas MacArthur standing with his hands on his hips next to Hirohito.
In an online State Department posting from 2007 titled "Protocol for the Modern Diplomat," envoys are advised to be aware of greeting rituals such as kisses, handshakes or bows and to follow a country's tradition. "Failure to abide with tradition may be interpreted as rudeness or a lack of respect for colleagues," it says.
In a written response to a reporter's question about the bow, the State Department said Tuesday that its protocol office worked closely with the White House to provide Obama with advice. "Protocol, in general, is about respecting the customs and traditions of a host country," the statement said. "The president was simply showing respect."
John Park, a senior researcher at the United States Institute of Peace think tank, said it is a respectful tradition for visitors to bow to the emperor in a formal setting.
But, he said, "We're in an environment right now where everything is hypersensitive. Any type of move that you do, there will be some group that sees some sort of message within all that."
The furor in the United States over the bow also shows how delicate any trip by Obama would be to Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the Japanese cities destroyed by US atomic bombs at the end of World War II. Obama has said he wants to visit the cities sometime during his presidency.
