Tourists desert Japan, fearing a Manga prophecy

Will an unprecedented natural disaster hit Japan on 5 July? That’s what a prediction from the cult manga "The Future I Saw" by Ryo Tatsuki claims, forecasting the opening of a gigantic underwater fault between Japan and the Philippines on that day, causing waves three times higher than those of the Tohoku earthquake in 2011, which led to the nuclear accident at the Fukushima plant.

Widely shared on social media, this prophecy has sparked panic in several Asian countries and triggered a wave of cancellations of trips to Japan.

In recent weeks, travel agencies and airlines have reported a dramatic drop in bookings. In Hong Kong, bookings are said to be down by 70 to 80% compared to last year. Taiwan, China, and South Korea—also strongly influenced by the rumour—are among the most affected countries.

The source of this panic? The manga’s author, Ryo Tatsuki, has held an almost mystical reputation since the work, originally published in 1999, predicted "a great disaster in March 2011". That very month, Japan was indeed hit by the earthquake, tsunami, and Fukushima nuclear disaster. Since then, each new prediction from the author has been closely watched and feared, to the point of influencing the behaviour of thousands of Asian travellers.

In response to the scale of the phenomenon, the Japanese government has tried to offer reassurance. At a press conference, Ryoichi Nomura, director at the Japan Meteorological Agency, pointed out that "it is scientifically impossible to predict an earthquake with an exact date, place and magnitude".

But confidence is hard to restore, especially as Japan has recently experienced several significant tremors, and experts estimate there is an 80% probability that a mega-earthquake will hit the Tohoku region in the next 30 years.

While this crisis is a heavy blow to Japan’s tourism sector, it’s a temporary relief for some residents, who are fed up with overtourism and the poor behaviour of foreign visitors. But for the country’s economy, which depends heavily on tourists, the aftershocks of this viral prophecy are likely to be felt long after 5 July.

(MH with LM - Source: blick - picture: Jezael Melgoza via Unsplash)