How low will he go? Obama gives Japan’s Emperor Akihito a wow bow

President Barack Obama bowed low to Japanese Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko, and then added a number of smaller bows, before lunching with the couple on Saturday.

Obama, who is in the midst of a trip to Asia, went to the Imperial Palace in Tokyo for a rare meeting with Akihito and greeted him in the traditional Japanese manner.

A top Obama aide told Politico.com that the president was following protocol with the bow.

“I think that those who try to politicize those things are just way, way, way off base,” the official said. “He observes protocol. But I don’t think anybody who was in Japan – who saw his speech and the reaction to it, certainly those who witnesses his bilateral meetings there – would say anything other than that he enhanced both the position and the status of the U.S., relative to Japan. It was a good, positive visit at an important time, because there’s a lot going on in Japan.”

Earlier this year, Obama was criticized for the way he greeted Saudi King Abdullah at a G-20 meeting. The National Republican Senatorial Committee said Obama bowed to Abdullah, while the White House insisted Obama simply bent over to shake hands with the shorter king.