Bowing to the Japanese Emperor

Article: It's a gesture of respect

You can read the article at The Straits Times, but if you are not a subscriber, you probably won't be able to access the article after 7 days from its publication.

I don't see what is the big fuss about bowing to the Japanese Emperor. I agree that it is a sign of respect. And it shows how well President Obama understands Japanese culture. In Japan, when you bow to the Emperor, you use the 90-degree bow. And the Emperor, by stretching his hand out, shows that he wasn't expecting Obama to bow, but rather to do what is common in American culture, a handshake.

Bowing is not a sign of subservience, it is a sign of respect for people above you. "Above you" need not necessarily be in terms of authority, but can be wisdom, knowledge, age, experience, etc. Rather than make a big fuss about the President of the United States bowing to the Japanese Emperor, we should be talking about how culturally aware the President is.

And as to why the Emperor didn't return the bow (as is usually the case when bowing is used as a greeting)? He isn't expected to, and probably has never bowed to anyone since he took over as Emperor.