Here's why a Manga prediction crashed Japan's tourist numbers in June

Business Standard

4 days ago

Visitor interest in Japan saw a downturn in June, following widespread speculation linked to a prophecy in a Japanese manga predicting a 'disaster' in July 2025.
The forecast originated in a 2021 reprint of the manga 'Watashi ga Mita Mirai, Kanzenban', which translates to 'The Future That I Saw, Complete Edition' by artist Ryo Tatsuki. The manga's original 1999 edition featured a reference to a 'disaster in March 2011'.
In March 2011, Japan experienced the catastrophic Great Tohoku Earthquake, its most powerful recorded quake, which resulted in nearly 20,000 deaths and triggered the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear crisis. The Amazon listing for the manga's reprint, as translated by Google, claimed the author had 'new prophetic dreams' and warned that the 'real disaster will come in July 2025".
Prophecy widely circulated across TV networks, influencers
CN Yuen, managing director of Hong Kong-based travel agency WWPKG, was quoted as saying by CNBC that the rumour gained major traction in Hong Kong, spreading rapidly across mainstream media, television networks, and YouTube influencers.
As a result, tourist arrivals from Hong Kong to Japan fell by 33.4 per cent year-on-year in June, following an 11.2 per cent decline in May, according to data from Japan's National Tourism Organisation.
Yuen stated that his agency observed a 50 per cent drop in bookings and enquiries for travel to Japan during April and May compared to the previous year.
Broader slowdown across Asia
Tourist inflows from other Asian countries also slowed. Visitor numbers from South Korea reportedly rose just 3.8 per cent in June, a fall from May's 11.8 per cent growth. Similarly, arrivals from Taiwan slumped from a 15.5 per cent increase in May to only 1.8 per cent in June.
From January to May 2025, overseas arrivals to Japan reportedly rose by an average of 24 per cent year-on-year. However, June saw only a 7.6 per cent increase, signalling a marked slowdown.
'This time, it's different'
Yuen noted that travel downturns after natural disasters are common, which usually end after the incident is over. Yuen said that this time was different, as nothing had actually happened and it was merely a rumour or prophecy.
Earlier in July, media outlets in both Hong Kong and Japan reported that airlines had reduced flights between Hong Kong and certain Japanese cities, including Nagoya.
Zilmiyah Kamble, a senior lecturer in hospitality and tourism management at James Cook University, told CNBC the cultural authority of manga, coupled with memories of past disasters and Japan's real seismic vulnerability, meant such warnings resonated deeply in the region. In this case, she said a fictional narrative amplified by social media could have provided a compelling—though scientifically unfounded—reason for people to postpone their travel plans.