Emperor Akihito & Empress Michiko Current Events Part 2: September 2006- January 2013


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An interesting remark from the FM indeed- what are your thoughts? (thanks for the correction, L)
 
Patra said:
An interesting remark from the PM indeed- what are your thoughts?
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Not the PM,the Foreign Minister.

As I said,interesting,to early to speculate on anything else.
 
Yes, we must wait to know any other statement from chieff Officers to see how those statements reached the Court.
 
Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko talk with recipients of the Order of Culture and Cultural Merit they invited to the palace in Tokyo on Nov. 4

Pic 1
 
Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko visit a special exhibition commemorating the 20th anniversary of the emperor's coronation at the National Archives of Japan in Tokyo on Nov. 10, 2009

Pic 1
 
Peruvian President Alan Garcia shakes hands with Japanese Emperor Akihito upon his arrival at the imperial palace in Tokyo on November 11, 2009. Garcia is on a two-day official visit.

Pic 1
 
kkgg101 said:
Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko visit a special exhibition commemorating the 20th anniversary of the emperor's coronation at the National Archives of Japan in Tokyo on Nov. 10, 2009

Pic 1
Click to expand...

They must think of how fast time goes by, and how their lives have been in this last years... this visist should have been a trip to memories... :)
 
Thanks for updates on Emperor's and Empress' activities!
The exhibition devoted to the coronation is sure to bring some memories for the couple regnant.
 
Gee!!! It was indeed surprising to see how tall Obama is compared to the Emperor and Empress... however, the gesture can be seen as a protocolarian and deferent attitude towards the Imperial Couple, but I don't think the gesture is allowed between Chiefs of State (I don't remember former President Fujimori, who was a nikkei as well as a Japanese citizen, bowing to the Emperor when he visited Japan...)
 
It is always a pleasure to see the Imperial couple welcoming presidents of various countries. The USA is viewed as one of the most important American allies. So Presidents act accordingly by taking a deep bow. Furthermore, there are no rule bending in regard to protocol in Japan.
 
Information provided courtesy of Skydragon.

President Obama makes low bow to the Emperor

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.

Pic and read more:http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worl...#ixzz0WyQ8iJsR
.
 
From what I've heard here, there really hasn't been all that much outcry, save maybe from people who already dislike the President and are looking for more things to criticize.

I think it was a nice gesture of respect -- don't Japanese people often bow to each other to show respect on an everyday basis, royalty or not?
 
I think that the bow (which could have been a polite gesture in a Japanese context) was taken as a bow to a foreign Head of State because of President Obama's bow to the King of Saudi Arabia. Had the bow not been so deep, I don't think that it would have seen to be so offensive.


Ella Kay said:
From what I've heard here, there really hasn't been all that much outcry, save maybe from people who already dislike the President and are looking for more things to criticize.

I think it was a nice gesture of respect -- don't Japanese people often bow to each other to show respect on an everyday basis, royalty or not?
Click to expand...
 
Ella Kay said:
From what I've heard here, there really hasn't been all that much outcry, save maybe from people who already dislike the President and are looking for more things to criticize.

I think it was a nice gesture of respect -- don't Japanese people often bow to each other to show respect on an everyday basis, royalty or not?
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I agree with you 100%. It was out of respect (and yes they do bow to each other especially if the one bowing is younger and is bowing to an elder - my husband is of Japanese heritage, born in Okinawa). I would not expect any head of state to have acted any differently. ;)
 
As far as I know, Japanese bows are a simple, yet complex art based on nuances. There are different degrees of respects that can be expressed by a simple bow. Non-Japanese do a very poor job imitating the bowing etiquette ... but then again the Japanese do not expect foreigners to master or really know much of subtle nuances of Japanese etiquette. I would say President Obama should have bowed the way Crown Prince Narihito did to keep his compatriots happy and show respect to the Japanese Emperor.
http://picture.belga.be/belgapicture/picture/prev/16528988.jpg
(originally posted by namiey)
 
Most of those criticizing Obama for this are doing it simply for partisan reasons. History and the war have nothing to do with it. I'll bet none of these people were bothered when "Tricky Dicky" Nixon bowed to Emperor Hirohito himself. However, Obama did manage to goof it -you do NOT shake hands while bowing. The Emperor seemed a little amused by it. Regardless of that though I think it was an entirely appropriate sign of respect to a very long reigning and well regarded monarch. I'm sure the Japanese were pleased to see the U.S. President showing such respect to their Emperor, the symbol of their nation.
:japanstandard: :japanflag:
 
Yes, I think that the bow by Obama was in recognition of the Japanese style of greeting generally, rather than a specific bow to imperial royalty. It was nice to see the video clip and the main impression I have is how lovely the Empress acts and greets people - very calm, subtle and kindly.
 
I support Obama's bow. I frankly think it's rude when foreign leaders (like Dick Cheney when he was VP) don't bow to the emperor. Akihito is the senior head of state in this case (he has 19 years on Obama), and is an older man than the American president. I am certain the president bowed for cultural reasons, mainly because he would have made the same effort for Elizabeth II in the UK if he was confused about protocol. Also, and I have no problem admitting this here on the RF, I have a very ingrained sense that elected leaders should always show respect to the representatives of great historic lineages.

So, getting past the bow...are there other pictures of President Obama with the Emperor and Empress?
 
Bones said:
Most of those criticizing Obama for this are doing it simply for partisan reasons. History and the war have nothing to do with it. I'll bet none of these people were bothered when "Tricky Dicky" Nixon bowed to Emperor Hirohito himself. However, Obama did manage to goof it -you do NOT shake hands while bowing. The Emperor seemed a little amused by it. Regardless of that though I think it was an entirely appropriate sign of respect to a very long reigning and well regarded monarch. I'm sure the Japanese were pleased to see the U.S. President showing such respect to their Emperor, the symbol of their nation.
:japanstandard: :japanflag:
Click to expand...


Excellent post as usual Bones. The outcry over this bowing incident is just...baffling. When Former First Lady Nancy Reagan visited Britain, I distinctly remember that she curtsied to HM The Queen, and I think she did so again during the royal visit to the States later in the decade. I just visited another site where someone has posted photos of President Eisenhower bowing to the wife of the then Prime Minister of Italy, President DeGaulle AND Pope John XXIII!!

Unless Mr President genuflected or got down on his knees or something similar, I think the gesture was an appropriate and respectful one.
 
Heads of States do not bow/curtsey to each other. Their spouses may choose to show respect by opting to do so, however Heads of States are considered 'equal', and therefore a handshake would be sufficient.

This said, I see nothing wrong with Obama's bow; it showed he knows Japanese traditions well and respects them.
 
TIM had visited the Reikanji Temple, a Buddhist temple headed by a nun of imperial lineage, in Sakyo Ward in Kyoto on Nov. 20, 2009.
Picture by Kyodo
 
The article provides more details about the Imperial family than usual. However, the answers were diplomatically vague. I might be mistaken, but the sum allocated to the Imperial family was never mentioned.
 
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