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As part of his 12 day Asia trip, Donald Trump has met with Japan Emperor Akihiro
President Donald Trump met Japan’s Emperor Akihito on Monday and did not bow his head as is customary. Trump instead slightly lowered his head to the leader.
Trump has not named a Chief of Protocol
Bowing is widely regarded as an important sign of respect in Japan. While the tradition is getting sidelined in favor of handshakes thanks to globalization, a bow is still very much key in greeting a leader. Breaking from a long-standing tradition of bowing to Japanese Emperors may disrupt any diplomatic balance the U.S has at the moment. The reason as to why this happened points to Donald Trump not having a Chief of Protocol. He is responsible for all matters regarding etiquette and diplomacy. Sean P. Lauler who worked in diplomacy for the Navy and National Security Council is Trump’s current nominee however he has yet to be confirmed.
The U.S has the best military equipment “by far”
On the same day, the president stated that Japan could have a better defense against North Korea if they’d bought American military equipment. Trump met with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and emphasized his disappointment in Japan’s ignorance against North Korean missile testing over its soil.
Trump then reassured the public that once Abe buys a hefty portion of U.S arsenal, he will “shoot them out of the sky”. Shinzo Abe noted Japan would shoot down North Korea’s missiles “if necessary”.
The president is currently on his 12-day Asian trip that would establish ways to deal with the North Korean nuclear threat. Trump has called Kim Jong-Un @ rocket man” this time toning it down and calling Pyongyang’s weapon program a “threat to the civilized world”.
Shinzo Abe clarified that Japan and the U.S are allies through and through and that together they can put North Korea in a corner. A representative for the Chinese Foreign Ministry Hua Chunying was left cold by Abe’s stance stating that the North Korean situation is too sensitive and complex to treat it this aggressively.
Image Source: JapanTimes
