Asian tourist numbers to Japan are plummeting. A comic book is to blame
Social media and viral posts have unsettled travellers and renewed attention to manga artist Ryo Tatsuki's prediction of a huge earthquake that would inundate Japan with tsunami waves. Tatsuki, whom some claim predicted Japan's 2011 earthquake, gives July 2025 as the date of the impending event in a graphic novel that was first published back in 1999.
The manga was republished in 2021 with additional content and the quake speculation has gotten new life on social media recently, with YouTube videos and Facebook posts that warn people of travelling to Japan attracting millions of views.
Though scientists say the exact timing of earthquakes can't be predicted, airline bookings from Taiwan, South Korea and Hong Kong have dropped since April — with bookings from the latter plunging by an average of 50 per cent versus a year ago, according to a Bloomberg Intelligence analysis of ForwardKeys data. Weekly arrival bookings for late June to early July from the Asian financial hub have also nosedived by as much as 83 per cent.
Greater Bay Airlines and Hong Kong Airlines have both scaled back some flights to Japan this month as officials implore the general public not to give stock to the rumours.
Yoshihiro Murai, the governor of Miyagi prefecture, said last month the rumours were starting to affect tourism and asked people to not take the speculation seriously. Japan's Meteorological Agency's website reminded people that current science can't predict tremors with any high accuracy.
Japan's location in the so-called Ring of Fire, a region of heightened tectonic activity encircling the Pacific Ocean, makes it one of the world's most earthquake-prone countries. Japan's last major earthquake was in 2011, which caused a devastating tsunami and nuclear disaster in Fukushima.
Even so, overall tourism to Japan remains buoyant. In April, Japan recorded a record-breaking 3.9 million foreign visitors, lured by the cheap yen.
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This is a sample of The Echidna newsletter sent out each weekday morning. To sign up for FREE, go to It's that moment of sweet surrender I treasure. You've made it to the airport on time, checked in, hustled through the cattle race to security, browsed some duty-free, arrived at the gate, boarded, and made it to your seat. The doors close, the aircraft is pushed back and soon you're airborne. It's when that seatbelt sign comes on that you finally relax. The airport stress is over. Everything's out of your hands now. Eight hours with no doom loop of news, no social media, no emails, no nagging reminders. Just a good book, perhaps a movie, maybe a doze - above all, respite from the real and troubled world 40,000 feet below you. It's for that reason I never succumb to temptation to make use of the aircraft's wifi. The hours of disconnection are almost as precious as the tropical holiday ahead. Switching off has never been more important. Numerous studies show that too much time online can have serious mental and physical health implications. Disturbed sleep, anxiety, depression, even obesity have been fingered as side effects of the online addiction so many of us struggle with. The online lure is at its worst during times of crisis, which nowadays seem the rule rather than the exception. Wars, natural disasters, train wrecks. We want to look away but can't and are driven by the fear of missing out on that latest development or tidbit of information that keeps us in the loop. In a bid to stay relevant in the online environment, the legacy media - especially most commercial free-to-air TV - have become ever more shrill in an attempt to wrest our attention from the screen in our hand to the big screen in the lounge room. That's why they serve a diet of incessant car crash or crime porn. Is it working? The University of Canberra's 2025 Digital News Report found that while local stories about crime and accidents remain popular up to 69 per cent of Australians actively avoid the news and only 37 per cent get their news via TV. The Ten Network has noticed this shift and has revamped its 6pm national nightly news offering with a more sober bulletin featuring fewer crashes and meatier stories - viewers can still get their shouty mayhem on the preceding state-based bulletin. Ten's also running its new national bulletin on Spotify and YouTube, knowing if the big screen can't tempt you, the little one might. This is, after all, another battle for your attention. It's that never-ending and exhausting contest for my attention, which makes the prospect of a few hours cut off from the internet, in my own little space, so appealing. It's exactly why I will sit back, relax and enjoy the flight. HAVE YOUR SAY: Do you use the WiFi when on a long flight? Or do you enjoy the break from the online world? Are you among the 69 per cent of Australians who avoid the news? How much of your day do you spend online? Email us: echidna@ SHARE THE LOVE: If you enjoy The Echidna, forward it to a friend so they can sign up, too. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: - Qantas has reported a major cyber security breach with data from up to 6 million customers potentially stolen. - Australians have claimed nearly $2 billion in flood, cyclone and rain insurance in six months but insurers say the bill isn't as bad as had been expected. - A second man has been charged with sex abuse crimes against children as investigators broaden their probe after allegations of "heinous" offences at childcare centres. THEY SAID IT: "Good news is rare these days, and every glittering ounce of it should be cherished and hoarded and worshipped and fondled like a priceless diamond." - Hunter S. Thompson YOU SAID IT: Touchscreen controls in cars are accidents waiting to happen. John wants a return to good old knobs, buttons and switches. "Yes, the screens are a distraction," writes Ann. "I drive a Mazda sedan and the screen is inactive if the car is moving. There are adequate controls with knobs and buttons for essential things like volume on the radio, tuning etc. Buy a Mazda next time, instead of an MG or a Tesla." Ian writes: "I love my Tesla Model 3, but am most assuredly not enamoured with Elon Musk nor with the number of essential driving functions that have been relegated to the screen, including heating/cooling control, radio station selection, and turning windscreen wipers and headlights on or off. I agree that having to search for these functions on a screen while under way is downright unsafe." That said, he loves the Tesla's fart button, a 'dog mode', and the navigation system. "I can set the dog mode on a hot day and nip into the supermarket while Tilly lounges in air-conditioned comfort on the car's back seat." "You have read my mind," writes Elaine. "When I updated my car I spent ages reading the 'Media manual' I then asked my son to assist as he has one in his car. After 'fiddling' with it and reading the manual, he declared it to be 'not user friendly'; therefore, it is not used to its possible potential." This is a sample of The Echidna newsletter sent out each weekday morning. To sign up for FREE, go to It's that moment of sweet surrender I treasure. You've made it to the airport on time, checked in, hustled through the cattle race to security, browsed some duty-free, arrived at the gate, boarded, and made it to your seat. The doors close, the aircraft is pushed back and soon you're airborne. It's when that seatbelt sign comes on that you finally relax. The airport stress is over. Everything's out of your hands now. Eight hours with no doom loop of news, no social media, no emails, no nagging reminders. Just a good book, perhaps a movie, maybe a doze - above all, respite from the real and troubled world 40,000 feet below you. It's for that reason I never succumb to temptation to make use of the aircraft's wifi. The hours of disconnection are almost as precious as the tropical holiday ahead. Switching off has never been more important. Numerous studies show that too much time online can have serious mental and physical health implications. Disturbed sleep, anxiety, depression, even obesity have been fingered as side effects of the online addiction so many of us struggle with. The online lure is at its worst during times of crisis, which nowadays seem the rule rather than the exception. Wars, natural disasters, train wrecks. We want to look away but can't and are driven by the fear of missing out on that latest development or tidbit of information that keeps us in the loop. In a bid to stay relevant in the online environment, the legacy media - especially most commercial free-to-air TV - have become ever more shrill in an attempt to wrest our attention from the screen in our hand to the big screen in the lounge room. That's why they serve a diet of incessant car crash or crime porn. Is it working? The University of Canberra's 2025 Digital News Report found that while local stories about crime and accidents remain popular up to 69 per cent of Australians actively avoid the news and only 37 per cent get their news via TV. The Ten Network has noticed this shift and has revamped its 6pm national nightly news offering with a more sober bulletin featuring fewer crashes and meatier stories - viewers can still get their shouty mayhem on the preceding state-based bulletin. Ten's also running its new national bulletin on Spotify and YouTube, knowing if the big screen can't tempt you, the little one might. This is, after all, another battle for your attention. It's that never-ending and exhausting contest for my attention, which makes the prospect of a few hours cut off from the internet, in my own little space, so appealing. It's exactly why I will sit back, relax and enjoy the flight. HAVE YOUR SAY: Do you use the WiFi when on a long flight? Or do you enjoy the break from the online world? Are you among the 69 per cent of Australians who avoid the news? How much of your day do you spend online? Email us: echidna@ SHARE THE LOVE: If you enjoy The Echidna, forward it to a friend so they can sign up, too. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: - Qantas has reported a major cyber security breach with data from up to 6 million customers potentially stolen. - Australians have claimed nearly $2 billion in flood, cyclone and rain insurance in six months but insurers say the bill isn't as bad as had been expected. - A second man has been charged with sex abuse crimes against children as investigators broaden their probe after allegations of "heinous" offences at childcare centres. THEY SAID IT: "Good news is rare these days, and every glittering ounce of it should be cherished and hoarded and worshipped and fondled like a priceless diamond." - Hunter S. Thompson YOU SAID IT: Touchscreen controls in cars are accidents waiting to happen. John wants a return to good old knobs, buttons and switches. "Yes, the screens are a distraction," writes Ann. "I drive a Mazda sedan and the screen is inactive if the car is moving. There are adequate controls with knobs and buttons for essential things like volume on the radio, tuning etc. Buy a Mazda next time, instead of an MG or a Tesla." Ian writes: "I love my Tesla Model 3, but am most assuredly not enamoured with Elon Musk nor with the number of essential driving functions that have been relegated to the screen, including heating/cooling control, radio station selection, and turning windscreen wipers and headlights on or off. I agree that having to search for these functions on a screen while under way is downright unsafe." That said, he loves the Tesla's fart button, a 'dog mode', and the navigation system. "I can set the dog mode on a hot day and nip into the supermarket while Tilly lounges in air-conditioned comfort on the car's back seat." "You have read my mind," writes Elaine. "When I updated my car I spent ages reading the 'Media manual' I then asked my son to assist as he has one in his car. After 'fiddling' with it and reading the manual, he declared it to be 'not user friendly'; therefore, it is not used to its possible potential." This is a sample of The Echidna newsletter sent out each weekday morning. To sign up for FREE, go to It's that moment of sweet surrender I treasure. You've made it to the airport on time, checked in, hustled through the cattle race to security, browsed some duty-free, arrived at the gate, boarded, and made it to your seat. The doors close, the aircraft is pushed back and soon you're airborne. It's when that seatbelt sign comes on that you finally relax. The airport stress is over. Everything's out of your hands now. Eight hours with no doom loop of news, no social media, no emails, no nagging reminders. Just a good book, perhaps a movie, maybe a doze - above all, respite from the real and troubled world 40,000 feet below you. It's for that reason I never succumb to temptation to make use of the aircraft's wifi. The hours of disconnection are almost as precious as the tropical holiday ahead. Switching off has never been more important. Numerous studies show that too much time online can have serious mental and physical health implications. Disturbed sleep, anxiety, depression, even obesity have been fingered as side effects of the online addiction so many of us struggle with. The online lure is at its worst during times of crisis, which nowadays seem the rule rather than the exception. Wars, natural disasters, train wrecks. We want to look away but can't and are driven by the fear of missing out on that latest development or tidbit of information that keeps us in the loop. In a bid to stay relevant in the online environment, the legacy media - especially most commercial free-to-air TV - have become ever more shrill in an attempt to wrest our attention from the screen in our hand to the big screen in the lounge room. That's why they serve a diet of incessant car crash or crime porn. Is it working? The University of Canberra's 2025 Digital News Report found that while local stories about crime and accidents remain popular up to 69 per cent of Australians actively avoid the news and only 37 per cent get their news via TV. The Ten Network has noticed this shift and has revamped its 6pm national nightly news offering with a more sober bulletin featuring fewer crashes and meatier stories - viewers can still get their shouty mayhem on the preceding state-based bulletin. Ten's also running its new national bulletin on Spotify and YouTube, knowing if the big screen can't tempt you, the little one might. This is, after all, another battle for your attention. It's that never-ending and exhausting contest for my attention, which makes the prospect of a few hours cut off from the internet, in my own little space, so appealing. It's exactly why I will sit back, relax and enjoy the flight. HAVE YOUR SAY: Do you use the WiFi when on a long flight? Or do you enjoy the break from the online world? Are you among the 69 per cent of Australians who avoid the news? How much of your day do you spend online? Email us: echidna@ SHARE THE LOVE: If you enjoy The Echidna, forward it to a friend so they can sign up, too. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: - Qantas has reported a major cyber security breach with data from up to 6 million customers potentially stolen. - Australians have claimed nearly $2 billion in flood, cyclone and rain insurance in six months but insurers say the bill isn't as bad as had been expected. - A second man has been charged with sex abuse crimes against children as investigators broaden their probe after allegations of "heinous" offences at childcare centres. THEY SAID IT: "Good news is rare these days, and every glittering ounce of it should be cherished and hoarded and worshipped and fondled like a priceless diamond." - Hunter S. Thompson YOU SAID IT: Touchscreen controls in cars are accidents waiting to happen. John wants a return to good old knobs, buttons and switches. "Yes, the screens are a distraction," writes Ann. "I drive a Mazda sedan and the screen is inactive if the car is moving. There are adequate controls with knobs and buttons for essential things like volume on the radio, tuning etc. Buy a Mazda next time, instead of an MG or a Tesla." Ian writes: "I love my Tesla Model 3, but am most assuredly not enamoured with Elon Musk nor with the number of essential driving functions that have been relegated to the screen, including heating/cooling control, radio station selection, and turning windscreen wipers and headlights on or off. I agree that having to search for these functions on a screen while under way is downright unsafe." That said, he loves the Tesla's fart button, a 'dog mode', and the navigation system. "I can set the dog mode on a hot day and nip into the supermarket while Tilly lounges in air-conditioned comfort on the car's back seat." "You have read my mind," writes Elaine. "When I updated my car I spent ages reading the 'Media manual' I then asked my son to assist as he has one in his car. After 'fiddling' with it and reading the manual, he declared it to be 'not user friendly'; therefore, it is not used to its possible potential." This is a sample of The Echidna newsletter sent out each weekday morning. To sign up for FREE, go to It's that moment of sweet surrender I treasure. You've made it to the airport on time, checked in, hustled through the cattle race to security, browsed some duty-free, arrived at the gate, boarded, and made it to your seat. The doors close, the aircraft is pushed back and soon you're airborne. It's when that seatbelt sign comes on that you finally relax. The airport stress is over. Everything's out of your hands now. Eight hours with no doom loop of news, no social media, no emails, no nagging reminders. Just a good book, perhaps a movie, maybe a doze - above all, respite from the real and troubled world 40,000 feet below you. It's for that reason I never succumb to temptation to make use of the aircraft's wifi. The hours of disconnection are almost as precious as the tropical holiday ahead. Switching off has never been more important. Numerous studies show that too much time online can have serious mental and physical health implications. Disturbed sleep, anxiety, depression, even obesity have been fingered as side effects of the online addiction so many of us struggle with. The online lure is at its worst during times of crisis, which nowadays seem the rule rather than the exception. Wars, natural disasters, train wrecks. We want to look away but can't and are driven by the fear of missing out on that latest development or tidbit of information that keeps us in the loop. In a bid to stay relevant in the online environment, the legacy media - especially most commercial free-to-air TV - have become ever more shrill in an attempt to wrest our attention from the screen in our hand to the big screen in the lounge room. That's why they serve a diet of incessant car crash or crime porn. Is it working? The University of Canberra's 2025 Digital News Report found that while local stories about crime and accidents remain popular up to 69 per cent of Australians actively avoid the news and only 37 per cent get their news via TV. The Ten Network has noticed this shift and has revamped its 6pm national nightly news offering with a more sober bulletin featuring fewer crashes and meatier stories - viewers can still get their shouty mayhem on the preceding state-based bulletin. Ten's also running its new national bulletin on Spotify and YouTube, knowing if the big screen can't tempt you, the little one might. This is, after all, another battle for your attention. It's that never-ending and exhausting contest for my attention, which makes the prospect of a few hours cut off from the internet, in my own little space, so appealing. It's exactly why I will sit back, relax and enjoy the flight. HAVE YOUR SAY: Do you use the WiFi when on a long flight? Or do you enjoy the break from the online world? Are you among the 69 per cent of Australians who avoid the news? How much of your day do you spend online? Email us: echidna@ SHARE THE LOVE: If you enjoy The Echidna, forward it to a friend so they can sign up, too. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: - Qantas has reported a major cyber security breach with data from up to 6 million customers potentially stolen. - Australians have claimed nearly $2 billion in flood, cyclone and rain insurance in six months but insurers say the bill isn't as bad as had been expected. - A second man has been charged with sex abuse crimes against children as investigators broaden their probe after allegations of "heinous" offences at childcare centres. THEY SAID IT: "Good news is rare these days, and every glittering ounce of it should be cherished and hoarded and worshipped and fondled like a priceless diamond." - Hunter S. Thompson YOU SAID IT: Touchscreen controls in cars are accidents waiting to happen. John wants a return to good old knobs, buttons and switches. "Yes, the screens are a distraction," writes Ann. "I drive a Mazda sedan and the screen is inactive if the car is moving. There are adequate controls with knobs and buttons for essential things like volume on the radio, tuning etc. Buy a Mazda next time, instead of an MG or a Tesla." Ian writes: "I love my Tesla Model 3, but am most assuredly not enamoured with Elon Musk nor with the number of essential driving functions that have been relegated to the screen, including heating/cooling control, radio station selection, and turning windscreen wipers and headlights on or off. I agree that having to search for these functions on a screen while under way is downright unsafe." That said, he loves the Tesla's fart button, a 'dog mode', and the navigation system. "I can set the dog mode on a hot day and nip into the supermarket while Tilly lounges in air-conditioned comfort on the car's back seat." "You have read my mind," writes Elaine. "When I updated my car I spent ages reading the 'Media manual' I then asked my son to assist as he has one in his car. After 'fiddling' with it and reading the manual, he declared it to be 'not user friendly'; therefore, it is not used to its possible potential."
