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International Business Times
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- International Business Times
Will Great Disaster Strike Japan on July 15? Manga Artist Predicts Mega Earthquake
Japan is now a topic of discussion worldwide due to a grim prediction by manga artist Ryo Tatsuki. The Japanese graphic novel artist and psychic predicted a great disaster for the East Asian country on July 15. In her best-selling comic, The Future I Saw, she predicted that a mega earthquake would strike Japan in July. The complete version of her book Watashi ga Mita Mirai, Kanzenban (The Future That I Saw) contains her new prophecy about a major natural disaster. The cult work, published in 2021, mentioned a dream she had while travelling in India in July 2021. In her dream, the manga artist saw "a crack opening up under the seabed between Japan and the Philippines, sending ashore waves three times as tall as those from the Tōhoku earthquake". According to her, she saw the seas boil as if she were looking at the earth as if it were on Google Earth. She had the dream again at 4.18 am on July 5, 2021. "The disaster will occur in July 2025. If the day you have a dream is the day it becomes reality, then the next great disaster will be July 5, 2025," Tatsuki wrote. The Impact The grim prediction by Ryo Tatsuki led to a dramatic fall in the bookings to Japan this summer. The prophecy gained massive traction online, resulting in a 50 percent dip in bookings to the country. Flight reservations to this East Asian country from Thailand, China, Vietnam, and Hong Kong declined due to this prediction. "The earthquake prophecy has caused a big change to our customers' preferences," Frankie Chow, head of Hong Kong travel agency CLS Holiday, told AFP. Will Great Disaster Strike Japan on July 15? Here is the truth about the grim prediction by Ryo Tatsuki about a great disaster in Japan on July 15. The manga artist, 70, said in her new autobiography, The Testament of an Angel, that the prediction about a disaster next week would have been a misprint from the publisher's side. She stressed that July 15 was the day she had this dream in 2021. The editorial staff could have misinterpreted her words. "I was unhappy that it was published primarily based on the publisher's wishes. I vaguely remember mentioning it, but it appears to have been hurriedly written during a rush of work. The day I had the dream does not equal the day something happens," she told the Japanese newspaper The Sankei Shimbun. The Japanese graphic novel artist and psychic shared her happiness watching people show interest in The Future I Know. Over 1.06 million copies of the book have been sold, with a renewed interest in Hong Kong and other parts of Asia. "It is evidence of growing awareness of disaster prevention, and we view this as a positive thing. We would like to help in the event of a disaster, and hope that this interest will lead to safety measures and preparations. I have to be especially careful when I go out, and I also try to stock up on supplies in case of a disaster," she shared. Meanwhile, seismologists said that it is impossible to predict the exact date, time, and location of an earthquake. An earthquake can occur at any time. It is important to make preparations. "With current scientific knowledge, it is difficult to predict an earthquake by specifying its date, time, and location, so please be aware that earthquakes can occur at any time and make preparations on an ongoing basis," the Cabinet Office Disaster Prevention Division in Japan mentioned on X/Twitter. What is The Future I Saw? The cult work contains 15 dreams that the manga artist had in 1985. She wrote them in a notebook that her mother gifted her. The book gained traction after 13 of her dreams came true. Some of her dreams were about the deaths of Diana and Queen frontman Freddie Mercury, a pandemic in 2020 – the coronavirus, and the Tōhoku earthquake in March 2011.
The Star
09-06-2025
- The Star
Megaquake talk scaring tourists
Unfounded online rumours warning that a huge earthquake will soon strike Japan are taking a toll on travel firms and airlines who report less demand from worried Hong Kongers. People from Hong Kong made nearly 2.7 million trips to Japan in 2024. Although it is impossible to know exactly when earthquakes will hit, fear-inducing predictions have spread widely among the city's residents. Some of the false posts cite a Japanese manga comic, republished in 2021, which predicts a major natural disaster in July 2025 – based on the author's dream. Other posts give different dates, while a Facebook group that claims to predict disasters in Japan has over a quarter of a million members, mainly in Hong Kong and Taiwan. 'The earthquake prophecy has absolutely caused a big change to our customers' preferences,' said Frankie Chow, head of Hong Kong travel agency CLS Holiday. Chow said that in March and April, his company received 70% to 80% fewer inquiries about travelling to Japan than last year. Business as usual: This file photo taken on Feb 21 shows people walking past shops in the Asakusa area as the 634m-high Tokyo Skytree is pictured in the distance in the Japanese capital. — AFP 'I've never experienced this before,' said Chow, who also runs the booking website While some people changed their destination, others 'did not dare to travel', he said. Mild to moderate earthquakes are common in Japan, where strict building codes minimise damage, even from larger shakes. But the nation is no stranger to major disasters, including in 2011 when a magnitude-9.0 quake triggered a tsunami that left 18,500 people dead or missing and caused a devastating meltdown at the Fukushima nuclear plant. Earthquakes are very rarely felt in Hong Kong, but some people are easily spooked by disinformation, Chow said. Megaquake warning In April, Tokyo's Cabinet Office said on social media platform X: 'Predicting earthquakes by date, time and place is not possible based on current scientific knowledge.' A Cabinet Office official said that the X post was part of its usual information-sharing about earthquakes. But Japan's Asahi Shimbun daily reported that it was responding to prophecies that sprung up online after a Japanese government panel in January released a new estimate for the probability of a 'megaquake'. The panel said the chance of a massive earthquake along the undersea Nankai Trough south of Japan in the next three decades had marginally increased to 75% to 82%. This was followed by a new damage estimate in March from the Cabinet Office, which said a Nankai Trough megaquake and tsunami could cause 298,000 deaths in Japan. Despite being a routine update of a previous 2014 figure, the estimate appears to have fanned tourists' fears. A YouTube video featuring a feng shui master urging viewers not to visit Japan, published by local media outlet HK01, has been viewed more than 100,000 times. Don Hon, one of Hong Kong's 7.5 million residents, does not entirely believe the online claims, but has still been influenced by them. 'I will just take it as a precaution and won't make any particular plans to travel to Japan,' the 32-year-old social worker said. And if a friend were to ask him to visit Japan in July, Hon 'might suggest going somewhere else'. No reason to worry Hong Kong-based Greater Bay Airlines has reduced flights to Japan's southern Tokushima region, a local tourism official said. 'The company told us demand has rapidly decreased amid rumours there will be a big quake and tsunami in Japan this summer,' she said. 'Three scheduled weekly round-trip flights will be reduced to two round-trips per week from May 12 to Oct 25.' The airline is also reducing its flights to Sendai in the northern region of Miyagi. 'There's no reason to worry,' Miyagi's governor Yoshihiro Murai reassured travellers, adding that Japanese people are not fleeing. But 'if unscientific rumours on social media are impacting tourism, that would be a major problem', he said last month. According to the Japan National Tourism Organization, the number of Hong Kong visitors in March stood at 208,400 – down nearly 10% year-on-year. However, this decline was partly due to the Easter holidays starting in mid-April this year, instead of March, they said. Hong Kong-based EGL Tours has not seen a massive decline in customers travelling to Japan, its executive director Steve Huen Kwok-chuen said. But recent bookings at its two hotels in Japan show fewer from Hong Kong guests, while the number from other global destinations remains stable. In any case, in the likely event that the predictions do not come to pass, 'people will realise it's not true', he said. — AFP
Free Malaysia Today
19-05-2025
- Free Malaysia Today
‘Unscientific' rumours of megaquake in Japan spook HK tourists
People from Hong Kong made nearly 2.7 million trips to Japan last year. (EPA Images pic) HONG KONG : Unfounded online rumours warning that a huge earthquake will soon strike Japan are taking a toll on travel firms and airlines who report less demand from worried Hongkongers. People from Hong Kong made nearly 2.7 million trips to Japan in 2024. Although it is impossible to know exactly when earthquakes will hit, fear-inducing predictions have spread widely among the city's residents. Some of the false posts cite a Japanese manga comic, republished in 2021, which predicts a major natural disaster in July 2025 – based on the author's dream. Other posts give different dates, while a Facebook group that claims to predict disasters in Japan has over a quarter of a million members, mainly in Hong Kong and Taiwan. 'The earthquake prophecy has absolutely caused a big change to our customers' preferences,' said Frankie Chow, head of Hong Kong travel agency CLS Holiday. Chow told AFP that in March and April his company received 70% to 80% fewer inquiries about travelling to Japan than last year. 'I've never experienced this before,' said Chow, who also runs the booking website While some people changed their destination, others 'did not dare to travel', he said. Mild to moderate earthquakes are common in Japan, where strict building codes minimise damage, even from larger shakes. But the nation is no stranger to major disasters, including in 2011 when a magnitude-9.0 quake triggered a tsunami that left 18,500 people dead or missing and caused a devastating meltdown at the Fukushima nuclear plant. Earthquakes are very rarely felt in Hong Kong, but some people are easily spooked by disinformation, Chow said. Last month, Tokyo's cabinet office said on social media platform X: 'Predicting earthquakes by date, time and place is not possible based on current scientific knowledge.' A cabinet office official told AFP that the X post was part of its usual information-sharing about earthquakes. But Japan's Asahi Shimbun daily reported that it was responding to prophecies that sprung up online after a Japanese government panel in January released a new estimate for the probability of a 'megaquake'. The panel said the chance of a massive earthquake along the undersea Nankai Trough south of Japan in the next three decades had marginally increased to 75% to 82%. This was followed by a new damage estimate in March from the cabinet office, which said a Nankai Trough megaquake and tsunami could cause 298,000 deaths in Japan. Despite being a routine update of a previous 2014 figure, the estimate appears to have fanned tourists' fears. A YouTube video featuring a feng shui master urging viewers not to visit Japan, published by local media outlet HK01, has been viewed more than 100,000 times. Don Hon, one of Hong Kong's 7.5 million residents, does not entirely believe the online claims, but has still been influenced by them. 'I will just take it as a precaution, and won't make any particular plans to travel to Japan,' the 32-year-old social worker said. And if a friend were to ask him to visit Japan in July, Hon 'might suggest going somewhere else'. Hong Kong-based Greater Bay Airlines has reduced flights to Japan's southern Tokushima region, a local tourism official told AFP. 'The company told us demand has rapidly decreased amid rumours there will be a big quake and tsunami in Japan this summer,' she said. 'Three scheduled weekly round-trip flights will be reduced to two round-trips per week from May 12 to Oct 25.' The airline is also reducing its flights to Sendai in the northern region of Miyagi. 'There's no reason to worry,' Miyagi's governor Yoshihiro Murai reassured travellers, adding that Japanese people are not fleeing. But 'if unscientific rumours on social media are impacting tourism, that would be a major problem', he said last month. According to the Japan National Tourism Organization, the number of Hong Kong visitors in March stood at 208,400 – down nearly 10% year-on-year. However, this decline was partly due to the Easter holidays starting in mid-April this year, instead of March, they said. Hong Kong-based EGL Tours has not seen a massive decline in customers travelling to Japan, its executive director Steve Huen Kwok-chuen said. But recent bookings at its two hotels in Japan show fewer from Hong Kong guests, while the number from other global destinations remains stable. In any case, in the likely event that the predictions do not come to pass, 'people will realise it's not true', he said.
HKFP
18-05-2025
- HKFP
‘Unscientific' Japan megaquake rumours spook Hong Kong tourists
Unfounded online rumours warning that a huge earthquake will soon strike Japan are taking a toll on travel firms and airlines who report less demand from worried Hong Kongers. People from Hong Kong made nearly 2.7 million trips to Japan in 2024. Although it is impossible to know exactly when earthquakes will hit, fear-inducing predictions have spread widely among the city's residents. Some of the false posts cite a Japanese manga comic, republished in 2021, which predicts a major natural disaster in July 2025 — based on the author's dream. Other posts give different dates, while a Facebook group that claims to predict disasters in Japan has over a quarter of a million members, mainly in Hong Kong and Taiwan. 'The earthquake prophecy has absolutely caused a big change to our customers' preferences,' said Frankie Chow, head of Hong Kong travel agency CLS Holiday. Chow told AFP that in March and April his company received 70-80 percent fewer inquiries about travelling to Japan than last year. 'I've never experienced this before,' said Chow, who also runs the booking website While some people changed their destination, others 'did not dare to travel', he said. Mild to moderate earthquakes are common in Japan, where strict building codes minimise damage, even from larger shakes. But the nation is no stranger to major disasters, including in 2011 when a magnitude-9.0 quake triggered a tsunami that left 18,500 people dead or missing and caused a devastating meltdown at the Fukushima nuclear plant. Earthquakes are very rarely felt in Hong Kong, but some people are easily spooked by disinformation, Chow said. 'Megaquake' warning' Last month, Tokyo's Cabinet Office said on social media platform X: 'Predicting earthquakes by date, time and place is not possible based on current scientific knowledge.' A Cabinet Office official told AFP that the X post was part of its usual information-sharing about earthquakes. But Japan's Asahi Shimbun daily reported that it was responding to prophecies that sprung up online after a Japanese government panel in January released a new estimate for the probability of a 'megaquake'. The panel said the chance of a massive earthquake along the undersea Nankai Trough south of Japan in the next three decades had marginally increased to 75-82 percent. This was followed by a new damage estimate in March from the Cabinet Office, which said a Nankai Trough megaquake and tsunami could cause 298,000 deaths in Japan. Despite being a routine update of a previous 2014 figure, the estimate appears to have fanned tourists' fears. A YouTube video featuring a feng shui master urging viewers not to visit Japan, published by local media outlet HK01, has been viewed more than 100,000 times. Don Hon, one of Hong Kong's 7.5 million residents, does not entirely believe the online claims, but has still been influenced by them. 'I will just take it as a precaution, and won't make any particular plans to travel to Japan,' the 32-year-old social worker said. And if a friend were to ask him to visit Japan in July, Hon 'might suggest going somewhere else'. 'No reason to worry' Hong Kong-based Greater Bay Airlines has reduced flights to Japan's southern Tokushima region, a local tourism official told AFP. 'The company told us demand has rapidly decreased amid rumours there will be a big quake and tsunami in Japan this summer,' she said. 'Three scheduled weekly round-trip flights will be reduced to two round-trips per week from May 12 to October 25.' The airline is also reducing its flights to Sendai in the northern region of Miyagi. 'There's no reason to worry,' Miyagi's governor Yoshihiro Murai reassured travellers, adding that Japanese people are not fleeing. But 'if unscientific rumours on social media are impacting tourism, that would be a major problem', he said last month. According to the Japan National Tourism Organization, the number of Hong Kong visitors in March stood at 208,400 — down nearly 10 percent year-on-year. However, this decline was partly due to the Easter holidays starting in mid-April this year, instead of March, they said. Hong Kong-based EGL Tours has not seen a massive decline in customers travelling to Japan, its executive director Steve Huen Kwok-chuen said. But recent bookings at its two hotels in Japan show fewer from Hong Kong guests, while the number from other global destinations remains stable. In any case, in the likely event that the predictions do not come to pass, 'people will realise it's not true', he said.
Kuwait Times
16-05-2025
- Kuwait Times
‘Unscientific' Japan megaquake rumors spook HK tourists
HONG KONG: Unfounded online rumors warning that a huge earthquake will soon strike Japan are taking a toll on travel firms and airlines who report less demand from worried Hong Kongers. People from Hong Kong made nearly 2.7 million trips to Japan in 2024. Although it is impossible to know exactly when earthquakes will hit, fear-inducing predictions have spread widely among the city's residents. Some of the false posts cite a Japanese manga comic, republished in 2021, which predicts a major natural disaster in July 2025 - based on the author's dream. Other posts give different dates, while a Facebook group that claims to predict disasters in Japan has over a quarter of a million members, mainly in Hong Kong and Taiwan. 'The earthquake prophecy has absolutely caused a big change to our customers' preferences,' said Frankie Chow, head of Hong Kong travel agency CLS Holiday. Chow told AFP that in March and April his company received 70-80 percent fewer inquiries about travelling to Japan than last year. 'I've never experienced this before,' said Chow, who also runs the booking website While some people changed their destination, others 'did not dare to travel', he said. Mild to moderate earthquakes are common in Japan, where strict building codes minimize damage, even from larger shakes. But the nation is no stranger to major disasters, including in 2011 when a magnitude-9.0 quake triggered a tsunami that left 18,500 people dead or missing and caused a devastating meltdown at the Fukushima nuclear plant. Earthquakes are very rarely felt in Hong Kong, but some people are easily spooked by disinformation, Chow said. Last month, Tokyo's Cabinet Office said on social media platform X: 'Predicting earthquakes by date, time and place is not possible based on current scientific knowledge.' A Cabinet Office official told AFP that the X post was part of its usual information-sharing about earthquakes. But Japan's Asahi Shimbun daily reported that it was responding to prophecies that sprung up online after a Japanese government panel in January released a new estimate for the probability of a 'megaquake'. The panel said the chance of a massive earthquake along the undersea Nankai Trough south of Japan in the next three decades had marginally increased to 75-82 percent. This was followed by a new damage estimate in March from the Cabinet Office, which said a Nankai Trough megaquake and tsunami could cause 298,000 deaths in Japan. Despite being a routine update of a previous 2014 figure, the estimate appears to have fanned tourists' fears. A YouTube video featuring a feng shui master urging viewers not to visit Japan, published by local media outlet HK01, has been viewed more than 100,000 times. Don Hon, one of Hong Kong's 7.5 million residents, does not entirely believe the online claims, but has still been influenced by them. 'I will just take it as a precaution, and won't make any particular plans to travel to Japan,' the 32-year-old social worker said. And if a friend were to ask him to visit Japan in July, Hon 'might suggest going somewhere else'. 'No reason to worry' Hong Kong-based Greater Bay Airlines has reduced flights to Japan's southern Tokushima region, a local tourism official told AFP. 'The company told us demand has rapidly decreased amid rumors there will be a big quake and tsunami in Japan this summer,' she said. 'Three scheduled weekly round-trip flights will be reduced to two round-trips per week from May 12 to October 25.' The airline is also reducing its flights to Sendai in the northern region of Miyagi. 'There's no reason to worry,' Miyagi's governor Yoshihiro Murai reassured travelers, adding that Japanese people are not fleeing. But 'if unscientific rumors on social media are impacting tourism, that would be a major problem', he said last month. According to the Japan National Tourism Organization, the number of Hong Kong visitors in March stood at 208,400 - down nearly 10 percent year-on-year. However, this decline was partly due to the Easter holidays starting in mid-April this year, instead of March, they said. Hong Kong-based EGL Tours has not seen a massive decline in customers travelling to Japan, its executive director Steve Huen Kwok-chuen said. But recent bookings at its two hotels in Japan show fewer from Hong Kong guests, while the number from other global destinations remains stable. In any case, in the likely event that the predictions do not come to pass, 'people will realize it's not true', he said.- AFP
