Well , I have been living here in Japan for 24 years and I can tell you that he is definitely prosrating himself . It’s obvious Akihito and his wife had no intention of bowing and were taken aback but amused by Obama’s emptyheaded gesture .
Exactly. You can see both the Emperor and his wife have their eyes fixed on Obama and are suprised and amused by his behvior.
Agreed. That is the external aspect, just as you describe.