Patricia: During Japan' s Tokugawa period, martial arts experts known as ninjas were trained for the purposes of espionage and assassination. Yet at that time there was actually very little ninja activity in Japan, and most Japanese did not fear ninjas. Tamara: That is not true. Many wealthy Japanese during the Tokugawa period had their houses constructed with intentionally squeaky floors so that they would receive warning if a ninja were in the house.
The statement 'The wealthy made up a small portion of Japan's population during the Tokugawa period' is the strongest counter Patricia can make to Tamara's objection.