Japanese commanders could be intelligent and still receive poor information because the reporting system punished honesty. In a dictatorship or highly coercive military regime, accurate reports may block promotion or endanger the messenger. Those incentives allow distorted information to persist even when senior leaders need realistic assessments. The problem lies in the command climate as much as in individual ability.
Notable Point · 39:56-40:10
Why bad information survives in authoritarian commands
Authoritarian command systems can punish truthful reporting, allowing bad information to survive despite intelligent senior officers.