Back in the 1980’s there was one defense contractor in Loudoun County that forbid employees from talking about non-job related matters during the workday.
When I was growing up and started working in the 70s and 80s it was a generally accepted rule that you don’t talk about politics or religion in the workplace.
Maybe not a rule exactly but considered poor manners.
I used to wonder back then why Japanese people were considered so ‘inscrutable’. It was easing a running joke in comic books. Even today it’s hard to get traditional Japanese people to express their opinion. It’s very hard to get them to say “no”. Instead they will say “That is something to consider” or a similar polite response when they cannot say yes.
I’ve grown to see why they are like that.