The World

By Mure Dickie, FT Tokyo bureau chief

The depth of Barack Obama’s pavement-scraping bow to Japan’s Emperor Akihito last weekend has become a matter of controversy at home drawing individous comparisons with the upright Dick Cheney  (see this Los Angeles Times blog).

So here’s my verdict on the president’s protocol performance.

First off, Obama definitely wins some credit for being so obviously keen to show respect for local feelings. This is an important message to convey given that his administration has been rather brusquely waving aside calls by Japan’s new government for a rethink on a controversial Marine base relocation plan.

Like people everywhere, the Japanese appreciate when visitors abide by the old injunction to “follow village ways when in the village” (the local equivalent of “When in Rome…”). And bowing is very much a part of Japanese etiquette.

But while Obama’s bow wins points for intent, the execution was, frankly, pretty ropey. Nobody in Japan bows deeply at the same time as shaking hands. And a key part of bowing properly is keeping your back straight (For tips, check out this how-to guide).

There is also the issue of the one-sided nature of the bow. Traditionally, this would be taken as a signal of inferior status, just as Obama’s critics argue. Nor was there much risk of the president giving offence by keeping his head up: his own secretary of state Hilary Clinton got away with a relaxed double-kiss-and-hug for Empress Michiko earlier this year.

My advice to the White House protocol office is to read today’s evening edition of the Asahi Shimbun. The paper quotes a retired Japanese foreign ministry protocol chief who also worked in the imperial palace agency as noting that the “normal” way to greet the emperor is merely with “a mutual handshake and light nod of the head”.

Or he could just watch this video by some young Republicans, who make the same point but with pictures and a lively soundtrack.