Manga predicts 2025 earthquake. Experts remind people it's fiction

CBC

07-07-2025

Author says she can't predict the future
A Japanese comic book from the 1990s predicts that an earthquake and tsunami will hit Japan and neighbouring countries this summer.
But will the premonition from The Future I Saw come true?
Experts say natural disasters can't be predicted, but some say fear around the possible earthquake could be affecting tourism to Japan.
Comic has already predicted disaster
Japanese artist Ryo Tatsuki said the manga — a type of Japanese comic book — was inspired by dreams she had about the future.
Originally published in 1999, it gained attention after a March 2011 Japan tsunami and earthquake.
In the manga, Tatsuki had written of a natural disaster that would hit Japan in March 2011.
To some, the coincidence seemed like Tatsuki had predicted the disaster 12 years before it happened.
The attention led to a republishing of The Future I Saw, along with an updated version in 2021 with new predictions.
Fewer people travelling to Japan this summer
The updated manga predicted that a disaster would strike Japan in July 2025.
Some have wondered if that new prediction is affecting trips to Japan.
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A record number of people have visited Japan in 2025, with 3.9 million travellers in the month of April alone.
The manga The Future I Saw gained renewed attention for predicting an alleged disaster striking Japan in July 2025. (Image credit: Issei Kato/Reuters)
However, starting in May, that number began to drop.
Steve Heun of ELG Tours, a Hong Kong-based tourism company, told media company Reuters that they've seen far fewer bookings this month in Japan.
Brandon Choi, a Hong Kong resident, was spooked by Tatsuki's prediction.
'If possible, I might delay my trip and go after September,' he said to Reuters.
Earthquakes can't be predicted
Tatsuki is aware of the rumours, and denies being able to predict the future.
Along with that, Japan has historically been prone to earthquakes.
In recent weeks, there have been more than 1,000 earthquakes in some islands near Kyushu in Japan's Kagoshima prefecture alone.
Despite all these rumours, it's impossible to scientifically predict earthquakes, according to Robert Geller, a professor at the University of Tokyo who specializes in seismology, or the study of earthquakes.
'None of the predictions I've experienced in my scientific career have come close at all,' he told Reuters.