‘Not his style – never has been’
- President Donald Trump shook hands confidently with Japanese Emperor Akihito at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo
- In 2009 his predecessor Barack Obama bowed deeply before the emperor in a sign of respect that was seen as a show of weak deference in the United States
- Obama had already set the tone of American weakness by bowing to the Saudi king at a G20 summit in London
- Trump offered just a nod of his head to the aging and low-statured emperor on Monday
- An administration official traveling with Trump on his Far East tour told DailyMail.com that bowing is ‘not his style – never has been’
By David Martosko
President Donald Trump met with Japanese Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko on Monday, sharing a brief handshake eight years after his predecessor became a global laughingstock by bowing deeply before the monarch.
Visiting with the emperor and empress is routine for heads of state visiting Tokyo, and Trump did his part a few hours before a joint press conference with Prime Minster Shinzo Abe, who wields more power than the aging figurehead.
Trump nodded his head slightly, but did not bend at the waist.
An administration official traveling with Trump on his Far East tour told DailyMail.com that bowing is ‘not his style – never has been.’
Trump is the same height as Obama.
It wasn’t the first time Obama was caught up in a bowing scandal: Seven months earlier, he appeared to bow to the king of Saudi Arabia during a G20 Summit in London.
Akihito assumed his title in 1989 following the death of his father Hirohito, who had presided over Japan’s military alliance with Nazi Germany.
Hirohito green-lighted the bombing of the U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor, killing more than 2,000 and leading to America’s entry into World War II.