Took some time to read the whole thing, i think the author took 2 opposite examples where japan is way too strict and france is not enough probably the best would be something in the middle as are Germany, Switzerland and some other countries. One thing is certain, it's still better to be overly disciplined than vandals and such, like people crossing streets with the red light and then you thousands dead by car crashes every year, because once you take a bad habit and also your surroundings do the same it becomes culture instead of habit. In my country is very much the same as france if even worse.