Questioning of 'their'status and power --- To take this away from nation diplomacy for a bit... the sentence "Ïndeed some figures of authority cannot countenance any form of disagreement' makes me think of the primary, secondary and tertiary education system in Japan. Students are not allowed to ask any questions as teachers aka Sensei, are believed to be authority figures. Questioning them would mean, questioning their status. Even in critical fields like medicine, student doctors cannot ask a question or disagree with their sensei. It is more important to be seen as being part of the group consensus and never to 'stand out'. I feel this is really an extreme, but it exists and continues in the work place and across the fabric. Here is a video of a press conference held before the recent elections for prime minister and right at the end there is a journalist who asks a question as to why the Corona Virus-related changes being suggested were not suggested during PM Suga's term and the answer illustrates my point above. https://youtu.be/xrq_qB_6w2Q?t=3341

Source author: Mamta Reid liveandsmile@hotmail.com