Obama In Japan (PHOTOS): Meets With Prime Minister, Is Greeted By Protests

Obama touched down in Tokyo Friday to begin his tour of Asia, which will also include visits to Singapore, China, and South Korea over the next week.

The president's visit has so far been hit by some controversy and protest. As Al Jazeera reports:

Various street rallies were staged in Tokyo on Friday, including a small anti-US demonstration, but they passed off peacefully under the watchful eye of the some 16,000 police deployed to ensure security during Obama's visit.

According to the New York Times, many were placated by Obama's announcement that he would establish a committee to review the controversial U.S. Marine base at Okinawa - an issue that sparked many of the protests in Japan.

See images below from Obama's visit and some of the protests.

	1 / 9		Obama Greets Officials US President Barack Obama (2nd L) greets senior Japanese officials prior to meetings with Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama (L), at Kantei, the Prime Minister's office and official residence. Image courtesy AFP

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Comments

[Willie12345]

The Obama bow seemed like something out of the Wizard of Oz. The image was of a tall scarecrow, bowing to this older frail man. Not too presidential. We are not a nation that holds much value to monarches.

[Winston120]

Anyone find the "Obama bow" on this website??? They are sooooo hiding it.

[beautifuldisaster]

Teabagger, be gone!

[Two Cents]

Hey, why don't we have any radical students?? (There's lots to do: they could counter-demonstrate teabaggers, they could picket outside the offices of anti-health care politicians, they could wage a protest campaign against private church interests' influence over public policy, they could . . . )

[bunnyrabbitt]

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/washington/2009/11/obama-emperor-akihito-japan.html

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

Obama or Palin on tuesday's newswaves ?

[JerryAguy]

Looks like the limbo line in reverse.

[Winston120]

Obama claims to be a "Pacific" president? Is he trying to say "Pacific Islander", "Asian"?

Yo, homes, how about "I am the American President"?

This guy has to be the most unpatriotic POTUS in history.

[beautifuldisaster]

Blah blah blah

[One more Thing]

The President said some intelligent things about China. When will he analyze our outdated Cuban policy?

Maybe he could make a day trip to Cuba one day, ... better still take Michelle down there for a date night outing!

[brady61995]

when fidel goes, about 1 minute after.

[MadeandBakedintheUSA]

There is not one project GW Bush had his hands on that he did not screw up

and these murdochs want him back

gag me

[nopilikia]

Beg to differ. Did good job clearing brush at crawford ranch.

[MadeandBakedintheUSA]

WSJ/Murdoch: Dumb it Down Mr President!

HEY- MURDOCH CROWD-

better learn a few things- we are moving forward-

Unlike your choice- whichi s whjy we are where we are- your dumb down -

LEARN A FEW THINGS- DUMB DOWNS!

Global Economy-

Do you COMPREHEND what that means?

WSJ/Murdoch: Mr. President : Dumb it Down

Better learn-

Those factory jobs that you will not do when they are here- are not coming back

Get use to is Dumb Downs-

Country First and all-

GLOBAL ECONOMY- GLOBAL WORLD

Do you know how to read a MAP?

He is taking care of business - you murdochs are just too dumb down to get it!

[iceage7]

geez..I didn't know Japan had teabaggers

[TokyoCalling]

I think it's funny how the focus of this story is the protest. Which happen on a regular basis by the way, nothing new to see here. No sign of the larger crowds in support of the visit. Im sure the conservobots will get a kick out of this but unfortunately the story is tailored to their way of thinking. Sitting here watching the local news and having been on the streets myself I can assure you reality is quite different.

[cupcake65]

B. Hussein is in Japan, eh? With a long list of international screw-ups to his credit, I hope the Pacific Fleet has been put on a war readiness status.

[NoDubya]

He had screwups? He's been the most popular president we've had in decades.

George Bush was a SCREWUP and an embarassement to our country.

[cupcake65]

Doormat presidents aided by an inept, unqualified Sec. State, are always popular. I don't want my president to be liked I want him/her to be respected and even feared - especially by those who are trying to do us harm.

[yesIcan]

I see why you call yourself a cupcake.

[MadeandBakedintheUSA]

I was going to comment but you got it !

[TokyoCalling]

Its a hard job cleaning up after a spoiled brat's mess. Bush the loser son of a wealthy line of traitors to the nation but you want to criticize the current president for trying to fix this disaster.

So much for intelligence from the conservobots.

[cupcake65]

Not too many - well - no facts there, pal. Try again on an adult level. Try to forget that you're a "Progressive"/Liberal/NeoCom.....whatever.

[Mahi Joe]

The only thing that our last president, lil georgie, attracted overseas was flying shoes aimed at his head.

[MaximMaximus]

Are you a mo.ron or just pretending to be one?

[JDReign]

@ talkitreal - thats was a good point why on earth didi they delete it?

[mootown22]

We need health care NOW...we need the stimulus NOW...we need clash for clunkers NOW...but the Ditherer-in-chief can't decide what to do about Afghanistan while our boys are dying...guess he is just too busy to make a REAL decision.

[JDReign]

Well you realize that the Afghan conflict is a war and not a scuffle between two adolescents? It takes days,weeks even years to decide whether to buy a new house or car , so do you you actually think that taking time to formulate a realistic battle strategy is dithering? BTW whats is up with the people parroting these ridculous new words? Was from Dick Cheney the first time you've ever heard "dithering"?

[Matrsnot]

Setting up a battle strategy is not Obama's job. He is not trained for it. THAT is why he has Generals. To conduct his war.

[normalintexas]

You have no idea do you?

[crzy]

- Boink -

[pfc1369]

Your "boys" are dying because George W. Bush began two absurd and pointless wars against two countries that had nothing to do with 911.

Do you think by increasing the number of Americans, fewer will be dying?

You people don't think at all, that's the problem.

[yesIcan]

Just think of all the lives that would have been saved if Bush had taken the time to dither and not jumped to rash decisions.

[BillN]

OH yes, let's quit "dithering" and rush into a 40,000 troop commitment with no exit strategy, and without thinking it through.

That strategy worked EXTREMELY well for the LAST administration - both times.

Get real.

[John Sanzone]

It is kind of misleading to refer to the pictures of some of the protesters as simply "anti-American"...I know it's just a matter of words, but it's revealed in the last picture that they are protesting another U.S. base construction in Japan. That's a pretty legitimate issue to be protesting, and it means they're not simply "anti-American protesters."

[Vxx]

Thank the simplistic media which is apparently often full of people with "journalism degrees" but no clue as to history, politics, science, or many other subjects they're supposed to report on.

[oldjerseygirl]

Remember, Vxx, Palin also has a journalism degree. Shows you how much it's worth, eh?

[skymuffin]

Why are we building more bases? How come we have lots of money to drop into other countries, while we can't fix the bridges and roads in our own country?

[hellinahandcart]

skymuffin, I respect your question, and we don't have a lot of money to drop into other countries. North Korea has become an increasing threat and not backing off in the least. Most Japanese are VERY worried and glad we are a presence there.
What I surmise some of these protests are about may not be so much the presence of the bases, themselves, but the reprehensible behavior (many recorded crimes over the last few decades) of some of the marines when they are out and mixing w/ locals, particularly the female locals.

[robrob79]

Well by these posts I can see there are nothing but extreme far left dunnies on here Also most are not beggars but dumb also.

[beautyontheinside]

what's a dunnie? Is that something you find in your belly button or under the bed?

[marirose]

LMAO. Good one. I'll have to remember that. TY.

[hippybaby1970]

go find a classroom, any one will do.

[JDReign]

Honestly if it weren't for internet technology the level of s.tup1dity of you f0lks would still be an urban legend like yeti or the loch ness

[pfc1369]

If you had attended one of those government socialist public schools, perhaps you would have learned how to construct a coherent sentence.

[skymuffin]

Far left? Left of what? Dick Cheney? You mean the sane, thinking people? Go shave your knuckles.

[yankee222]

Another junket for the wannabe commander-in-chief who lets our soldiers perish in Afghanistan while he 'thinks about it'.

Apparently the "fierce urgency of now" claptrap ended slightly over a year ago.

[MeasleeMillion]

convoluted comment

[Smithn]

Fewer Beckerisms and more with Colin Powell, please.

[normalintexas]

I see you miss your G.O.B. buddy The Decider in Chief (who made the worst decisions for our country ever).

[cupcake65]

Nah - Jimmy Carter was worse, followed by our current Maoist-in-chief.

[jhamm1]

"Another junket for the wannabe commander-in-chief who lets our soldiers perish in Afghanistan while he 'thinks about it'"

Actually weighing his options and exercising the "better part of valor", something you and Bush with your joint preference to "invade first and think about it later" would never understand.

[DeloresT]

"JUNKET?" Isn't that what Geedubya Bush went on every weekend in Texas while troops were dying in the Iraq war that he initiated?