After a devastating earthquake and resultant tsunami hit Japan in mid-March, some leaders said it was a sign from God (no, this time it wasn’t Pat Robertson). Shintaro Ishihara—the governor of Tokyo and a devotee of the Shinto religion—raised eyebrows in a press conference when he questioned the disaster and blamed his people for it. “The character of the Japanese people is selfish,” he said. “The Japanese people must take advantage of this tsunami to wash away their selfish greed. I really do think this is divine punishment.”