Japanese Emperor ‘escapes’ Duterte acid tongue

Tokyo, Oct .27: Protocolconscious Japan dodged a potential diplomatic minefield on Thursday when a meeting between profanity-prone Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte and the country’s revered Emperor Akihito was cancelled following a death in the imperial family.

Akihito’s 100-year-old uncle Prince Mikasa died on Thursday and the Emperor will begin seven days of mourning, “cancelling a series of events scheduled during the period including his meeting with President Duterte”, a palace spokesperson told AFP.

Mr Duterte is on his first trip as President to Japan and was due to visit the palace and meet the 82year-old figurehead as his final appointment before going home.

The scheduled meeting had Japan on faux pas alert with concerns about

A meeting between Duterte and Akihito was cancelled following a death in the imperial family

Mr Duterte’s possible misbehaviour spiking after a video of him meeting President Xi Jinping in China last week showed him apparently chewing gum — considered rude in Japan on such an occasion.

Mr Duterte, who has launched a controversial, deadly crackdown on crime in the Philippines, was also seen standing at the event with his hands in his pockets, another nono in Japan.

Since arriving in Tokyo on Tuesday, Mr Duterte has avoided any major trouble, though the acidtongued president has kept up his habit of hurling sharp, sometimes profane, insults at world figures, with a fresh tirade against Washington.

Still, a summit meeting with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Wednesday went off without a hitch.

Retired diplomats and officials had expressed concern that the toughtalking former mayor of Davao would offend Akihito, which they warned could have affected bilateral ties.