Viral comic sparks fear of quake hitting Japan
Art comes to life: Visitors attending the media preview of the Attack on Titan Final Exhibition, featuring artwork from the popular manga and anime series, at Central World shopping centre, Bangkok. — AFP
Holiday bookings to Japan from key Asian markets have plunged ahead of the busy summer season. The cause: rumours of an impending earthquake prophesied in a manga graphic novel.
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 published in 1999.
The manga was republished in 2021 with additional content and the quake speculation has found new life on social media, with YouTube videos and Facebook posts warning 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% versus a year ago.
Weekly arrival bookings for late June to early July have also nosedived by as much as 83%.
Greater Bay Airlines and Hong Kong Airlines have both scaled back some flights to Japan as officials implore the general public not to give stock to the rumours.
Japan's Meteorological Agency's website reminded people that current science can't predict tremors with any high accuracy.
Tatsuki's work – The Future I Saw – is based on a dream in which a tsunami inundates the Japan and impacts Hong Kong, Taiwan and the Philippines.
Others have seized on a February report by a Japanese government earthquake task force that's raised the risk of a mega earthquake that could trigger 100-foot tsunamis within the next 30 years to around 80%.
Tatsuki, now retired and still living in Japan, said the high level of interest reflects growing awareness of disaster preparedness.
'I, myself, would like to take precautions such as stockpiling supplies in preparation for disasters and confirming evacuation routes when going out,' she said in a statement to Bloomberg.
'I intend to remain vigilant on a daily basis as we approach July 2025.' — Bloomberg
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