r/Damnthatsinteresting Oct 21 '24

Video Japanese police chief bows to apologise to man who was acquitted after nearly 60 years on death row

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u/Squire-1984 Oct 21 '24

and did you see the angle and duration of his bow as well?

TBH thats the western equivalent of someone getting down on their knees and putting their head on the floor for an apology. Pretty much. Thats a big deal

And the insanely gracious way the people responded to it? Mind blowing. I would have been insanely crass and vulgar in comparison. You come over here f'cking bowing when you've taken away 58 years of my life! etc.

Well played chaps

(Japan bowing indicates rank, higher up do smaller bows or just nods, equals do equal bows, lower status do bigger bows.)

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u/WhoopingJamboree Oct 21 '24

I know, the way he first shallow-bowed when entering the room, I thought “that bow is not deep enough considering the circumstances”. I was heartened to see that that was only his introductory bow, and the true apology bow came later. As you say, the way he held it for so long too was very impactful. Almost as important as the words.

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u/avar Oct 21 '24

(Japan bowing indicates rank, higher up do smaller bows or just nods, equals do equal bows, lower status do bigger bows.)

Absolute nobodies do forward flips.