As Japan's manga earthquake 'prophecy' sparks panic, authorities warn of more strong tremors ahead

Time of India

3 days ago

Japan's remote Tokara Island experienced more than 900 earthquakes in the past two weeks, according to the country's weather agency, leaving residents unable to sleep and fearful of what might come next. The series of earthquakes in Japan along with a major eruption from a long-dormant volcano, has further fuelled speculation about a disaster striking Japan on July 5.
The government of Japan has warned of more possible earthquakes in waters southwest of its main islands, reported news agency Reuters, urging the people not to believe unfounded predictions of a major disaster.
Amid the increasing frequency of earthquakes, a comic book prediction has been fuelling speculations of a 'deadly earthquake" in Japan. The manga novel predicted that a mega earthquake would hit Japan on July 5. The 2021 reprint of 'The Future I Saw' by Ryo Tatsuki, a retired manga artist who is also known as the "New Baba Vanga", warns that a "huge" tsunami will wash over countries in the Pacific Ocean.
The retired manga warned that a "huge tsunami" three times the size' of the 2011 Great East
Japan Earthquake
will wash over countries in the Pacific Ocean. The first edition of the manga, published in 1999, had referred to a 'great disaster' in March 2011 that coincided with the earthquake that killed more than 18,000 people and caused the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant disaster, according to The Times.
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Japan rattled by earthquakes
Tokara Islands in Japan's Kagoshima prefecture have witnessed more than 1000 tremors in the past two weeks, with the earthquake on Thursday (July 3) being so strong that people faced difficulty standing. This quake on Thursday stemmed from a comic book prediction that a major disaster would befall the country this month. Seismic activity was "very active" in the seas around the Tokara islands since 21 June. "It's very scary to even fall asleep," one resident told the regional broadcaster MBC. "It feels like it's always shaking."
The Tokara area has experienced clusters of earthquakes in the past but the frequency of the most recent tremors has been unusual, according to local media. Japan is one of the most seismically active nations on Earth, owing to its location on the so-called Pacific Ring of Fire, where many tectonic plates meet. It experiences about 1,500 earthquakes each year.
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Following the repeated quakes, authorities on Friday evacuated some residents from remote islands close to the epicentre of a 5.5-magnitude quake off the tip of the southernmost main island of Kyushu. "With our current scientific knowledge, it's difficult to predict the exact time, place or scale of an earthquake," said Ayataka Ebita, director of the Japan Meteorological Agency's earthquake and tsunami monitoring division, after a 5.4-magnitude quake shook the area again on Saturday.
"We ask that people base their understanding on scientific evidence," Ebita told a press conference.
Japan sees drop in tourists
A manga believed by some to predict a major disaster on an upcoming Saturday has sparked fear among travelers, with some choosing to steer clear of Japan. The rumors, which gained particular traction in Hong Kong, appear to have impacted tourism—visitor numbers from Hong Kong dropped 11% in May compared to the same month last year, according to recent data.
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Despite this dip, Japan has seen a surge in overall tourism, with April breaking records by welcoming 3.9 million visitors in a single month.
The source of the speculation is The Future I Saw, a manga originally published in 1999 and re-released in 2021. Its creator, Ryo Tatsuki, addressed the buzz through a statement from her publisher, clarifying, 'I am not a prophet.'
Japan, situated in one of the world's most seismically active zones, regularly experiences earthquakes. The country accounts for roughly 20% of all magnitude 6 or higher quakes worldwide.