A doomsday prediction of a megaquake and tsunami striking southern Japan this month could result in up to 560 billion yen (US$3.9 billion) in economic losses, according to think tank Nomura Research Institute.
Rumours of a possible disaster went viral after Ryo Tatsuki, an artist said to have visions of the future, predicted a massive earthquake and tsunami in the Philippine Sea on July 5, 2025, in her manga The Future I Saw. Originally published in 1999 and reprinted in 2021, the book gained attention for seemingly foretelling the March 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami.
Japan’s southern tourism faces losses as travellers react to viral quake prediction from 1999 manga; Takachiho Gorge in Miyazaki, pictured
The latest forecast has unsettled tourists, particularly in Asia, despite calls from Japan’s meteorological agency and local governments that the exact timing, size or location of earthquakes cannot be predicted.
Many potential travellers have cancelled their trips, chosen other destinations or postponed travel to Japan until autumn.
Arrivals from Hong Kong fell 11 per cent year-on-year in May, with a steeper decline expected in June and July, according to government data. Travel bookings from China, Vietnam, and Thailand have also dropped by 30 per cent compared to the same period last year.
In response to weakening demand, Greater Bay Airlines has reduced its thrice-weekly roundtrip flights between Hong Kong and Tokushima, Shikoku, to two, and suspended its seasonal service to Yonago in Tottori Prefecture. Hong Kong Airlines has also cancelled its July and August flights to Kagoshima and Kumamoto in southern Kyushu.