Quote Originally Posted by samurai View Post
I was taught that the best way to handle greetings when I was in Japan is let the Japanese person make the first move. If they bow to you, return the bow. If they offer to shake your hand, then shake their hand. But you don't need to, and shouldn't, bow while you shake hands. So that part is probably Obumbler's ignorance of protocol rather than a real show of subservience, since bowing like that is just a form of greeting in Japan. If he were to do a real Japanese bow of subservience, he'd be on his knees, hands on the ground, and bowing his head to the floor.
Maybe, but I don't think that any head of state should bow to any other head of state.

If you want to show respect, then a box of cigars and a really decent malt whisky should do the job. If I was the head honcho of any state, then I'd far rather them than a 90 degree angle bow.

I tell you what, I bet the Emperor of Japan would have preferred a nice inlaid wooden box containing fifty Partegas maduras and a bottle of 20yo Lagavullen than some muppet doing a deep bow.

I bloody well would, too. The bow is like when your boss thanks you instead of paying you more. Fucking useless and humiliating to both parties.