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Obama is criticized for bowing to foreign leaders, the way of greeting rarely practised by former US presidents. Does the bow show decorum or diplomacy? Why wasn’t the bow returned?

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The surprise and furore created by Obama’s bowing to the Saudi Arabian King Abdullah is yet to die down. Obama bows low to Emperor Akihito. Though the world has better things to worry about, it does stare nonplussed, that, when the leaders greeted with bows are not averse to or ignorant of the handshake, why were they so greeted.

There are other things that puzzle. The angle of the bow is important in a Japanese bow. Greater angle denotes profound respect.

We do not know the angle of Obama’s bow, but his bow was not returned by the Emperor. Was he too surprised to react or has he considered himself superior, being a monarch? Do the monarchs of other countries return the bows given by heads of countries?

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Did Obama greet this way because “in Japan he wanted to do as the Japanese do?”

The Japanese etiquette of bowing is valued and practised inside the country and the people of Japan do not expect foreigners to practice this.

Yet the foreigners think that not bowing may offend the Japanese, and learn bowing before they meet the Japanese or visit Japan. The Japanese bowing is done with straight backs and hands at the sides for men. Women clasped their hands and bow. They bow with eyes down and a deeper bow indicates more respect.

Members of the family, younger, are bowed, bent at an angle of ten to fifteen degrees. Close friends are also greeted this way.

Greeting higher ups and elders is done by bending about thirty degrees. The duration of the bow is also considered important by the people of Japan. Longer duration indicates more respect. Bows of longer duration (more than three seconds) have to be responded by bowing again lightly. A bow of over forty five degrees and more than time duration of four seconds is asking forgiveness. The higher ups acknowledge the bow by a nod or a tilt of the head.

People of other countries, in their agitation not to offend, mix up the hand shake and bow and do both. This can be done by turning the head sideways so as not to bump heads.

May be the Emperor did not want this unpleasant thing to happen and so did not bow.