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The Star
17 hours ago
- The Star
Megaquake talk scaring tourists
Unfounded online rumours warning that a huge earthquake will soon strike Japan are taking a toll on travel firms and airlines who report less demand from worried Hong Kongers. People from Hong Kong made nearly 2.7 million trips to Japan in 2024. Although it is impossible to know exactly when earthquakes will hit, fear-inducing predictions have spread widely among the city's residents. Some of the false posts cite a Japanese manga comic, republished in 2021, which predicts a major natural disaster in July 2025 – based on the author's dream. Other posts give different dates, while a Facebook group that claims to predict disasters in Japan has over a quarter of a million members, mainly in Hong Kong and Taiwan. 'The earthquake prophecy has absolutely caused a big change to our customers' preferences,' said Frankie Chow, head of Hong Kong travel agency CLS Holiday. Chow said that in March and April, his company received 70% to 80% fewer inquiries about travelling to Japan than last year. Business as usual: This file photo taken on Feb 21 shows people walking past shops in the Asakusa area as the 634m-high Tokyo Skytree is pictured in the distance in the Japanese capital. — AFP 'I've never experienced this before,' said Chow, who also runs the booking website While some people changed their destination, others 'did not dare to travel', he said. Mild to moderate earthquakes are common in Japan, where strict building codes minimise damage, even from larger shakes. But the nation is no stranger to major disasters, including in 2011 when a magnitude-9.0 quake triggered a tsunami that left 18,500 people dead or missing and caused a devastating meltdown at the Fukushima nuclear plant. Earthquakes are very rarely felt in Hong Kong, but some people are easily spooked by disinformation, Chow said. Megaquake warning In April, Tokyo's Cabinet Office said on social media platform X: 'Predicting earthquakes by date, time and place is not possible based on current scientific knowledge.' A Cabinet Office official said that the X post was part of its usual information-sharing about earthquakes. But Japan's Asahi Shimbun daily reported that it was responding to prophecies that sprung up online after a Japanese government panel in January released a new estimate for the probability of a 'megaquake'. The panel said the chance of a massive earthquake along the undersea Nankai Trough south of Japan in the next three decades had marginally increased to 75% to 82%. This was followed by a new damage estimate in March from the Cabinet Office, which said a Nankai Trough megaquake and tsunami could cause 298,000 deaths in Japan. Despite being a routine update of a previous 2014 figure, the estimate appears to have fanned tourists' fears. A YouTube video featuring a feng shui master urging viewers not to visit Japan, published by local media outlet HK01, has been viewed more than 100,000 times. Don Hon, one of Hong Kong's 7.5 million residents, does not entirely believe the online claims, but has still been influenced by them. 'I will just take it as a precaution and won't make any particular plans to travel to Japan,' the 32-year-old social worker said. And if a friend were to ask him to visit Japan in July, Hon 'might suggest going somewhere else'. No reason to worry Hong Kong-based Greater Bay Airlines has reduced flights to Japan's southern Tokushima region, a local tourism official said. 'The company told us demand has rapidly decreased amid rumours there will be a big quake and tsunami in Japan this summer,' she said. 'Three scheduled weekly round-trip flights will be reduced to two round-trips per week from May 12 to Oct 25.' The airline is also reducing its flights to Sendai in the northern region of Miyagi. 'There's no reason to worry,' Miyagi's governor Yoshihiro Murai reassured travellers, adding that Japanese people are not fleeing. But 'if unscientific rumours on social media are impacting tourism, that would be a major problem', he said last month. According to the Japan National Tourism Organization, the number of Hong Kong visitors in March stood at 208,400 – down nearly 10% year-on-year. However, this decline was partly due to the Easter holidays starting in mid-April this year, instead of March, they said. Hong Kong-based EGL Tours has not seen a massive decline in customers travelling to Japan, its executive director Steve Huen Kwok-chuen said. But recent bookings at its two hotels in Japan show fewer from Hong Kong guests, while the number from other global destinations remains stable. In any case, in the likely event that the predictions do not come to pass, 'people will realise it's not true', he said. — AFP
Free Malaysia Today
19-05-2025
- Free Malaysia Today
‘Unscientific' rumours of megaquake in Japan spook HK tourists
People from Hong Kong made nearly 2.7 million trips to Japan last year. (EPA Images pic) HONG KONG : Unfounded online rumours warning that a huge earthquake will soon strike Japan are taking a toll on travel firms and airlines who report less demand from worried Hongkongers. People from Hong Kong made nearly 2.7 million trips to Japan in 2024. Although it is impossible to know exactly when earthquakes will hit, fear-inducing predictions have spread widely among the city's residents. Some of the false posts cite a Japanese manga comic, republished in 2021, which predicts a major natural disaster in July 2025 – based on the author's dream. Other posts give different dates, while a Facebook group that claims to predict disasters in Japan has over a quarter of a million members, mainly in Hong Kong and Taiwan. 'The earthquake prophecy has absolutely caused a big change to our customers' preferences,' said Frankie Chow, head of Hong Kong travel agency CLS Holiday. Chow told AFP that in March and April his company received 70% to 80% fewer inquiries about travelling to Japan than last year. 'I've never experienced this before,' said Chow, who also runs the booking website While some people changed their destination, others 'did not dare to travel', he said. Mild to moderate earthquakes are common in Japan, where strict building codes minimise damage, even from larger shakes. But the nation is no stranger to major disasters, including in 2011 when a magnitude-9.0 quake triggered a tsunami that left 18,500 people dead or missing and caused a devastating meltdown at the Fukushima nuclear plant. Earthquakes are very rarely felt in Hong Kong, but some people are easily spooked by disinformation, Chow said. Last month, Tokyo's cabinet office said on social media platform X: 'Predicting earthquakes by date, time and place is not possible based on current scientific knowledge.' A cabinet office official told AFP that the X post was part of its usual information-sharing about earthquakes. But Japan's Asahi Shimbun daily reported that it was responding to prophecies that sprung up online after a Japanese government panel in January released a new estimate for the probability of a 'megaquake'. The panel said the chance of a massive earthquake along the undersea Nankai Trough south of Japan in the next three decades had marginally increased to 75% to 82%. This was followed by a new damage estimate in March from the cabinet office, which said a Nankai Trough megaquake and tsunami could cause 298,000 deaths in Japan. Despite being a routine update of a previous 2014 figure, the estimate appears to have fanned tourists' fears. A YouTube video featuring a feng shui master urging viewers not to visit Japan, published by local media outlet HK01, has been viewed more than 100,000 times. Don Hon, one of Hong Kong's 7.5 million residents, does not entirely believe the online claims, but has still been influenced by them. 'I will just take it as a precaution, and won't make any particular plans to travel to Japan,' the 32-year-old social worker said. And if a friend were to ask him to visit Japan in July, Hon 'might suggest going somewhere else'. Hong Kong-based Greater Bay Airlines has reduced flights to Japan's southern Tokushima region, a local tourism official told AFP. 'The company told us demand has rapidly decreased amid rumours there will be a big quake and tsunami in Japan this summer,' she said. 'Three scheduled weekly round-trip flights will be reduced to two round-trips per week from May 12 to Oct 25.' The airline is also reducing its flights to Sendai in the northern region of Miyagi. 'There's no reason to worry,' Miyagi's governor Yoshihiro Murai reassured travellers, adding that Japanese people are not fleeing. But 'if unscientific rumours on social media are impacting tourism, that would be a major problem', he said last month. According to the Japan National Tourism Organization, the number of Hong Kong visitors in March stood at 208,400 – down nearly 10% year-on-year. However, this decline was partly due to the Easter holidays starting in mid-April this year, instead of March, they said. Hong Kong-based EGL Tours has not seen a massive decline in customers travelling to Japan, its executive director Steve Huen Kwok-chuen said. But recent bookings at its two hotels in Japan show fewer from Hong Kong guests, while the number from other global destinations remains stable. In any case, in the likely event that the predictions do not come to pass, 'people will realise it's not true', he said.
HKFP
18-05-2025
- HKFP
‘Unscientific' Japan megaquake rumours spook Hong Kong tourists
Unfounded online rumours warning that a huge earthquake will soon strike Japan are taking a toll on travel firms and airlines who report less demand from worried Hong Kongers. People from Hong Kong made nearly 2.7 million trips to Japan in 2024. Although it is impossible to know exactly when earthquakes will hit, fear-inducing predictions have spread widely among the city's residents. Some of the false posts cite a Japanese manga comic, republished in 2021, which predicts a major natural disaster in July 2025 — based on the author's dream. Other posts give different dates, while a Facebook group that claims to predict disasters in Japan has over a quarter of a million members, mainly in Hong Kong and Taiwan. 'The earthquake prophecy has absolutely caused a big change to our customers' preferences,' said Frankie Chow, head of Hong Kong travel agency CLS Holiday. Chow told AFP that in March and April his company received 70-80 percent fewer inquiries about travelling to Japan than last year. 'I've never experienced this before,' said Chow, who also runs the booking website While some people changed their destination, others 'did not dare to travel', he said. Mild to moderate earthquakes are common in Japan, where strict building codes minimise damage, even from larger shakes. But the nation is no stranger to major disasters, including in 2011 when a magnitude-9.0 quake triggered a tsunami that left 18,500 people dead or missing and caused a devastating meltdown at the Fukushima nuclear plant. Earthquakes are very rarely felt in Hong Kong, but some people are easily spooked by disinformation, Chow said. 'Megaquake' warning' Last month, Tokyo's Cabinet Office said on social media platform X: 'Predicting earthquakes by date, time and place is not possible based on current scientific knowledge.' A Cabinet Office official told AFP that the X post was part of its usual information-sharing about earthquakes. But Japan's Asahi Shimbun daily reported that it was responding to prophecies that sprung up online after a Japanese government panel in January released a new estimate for the probability of a 'megaquake'. The panel said the chance of a massive earthquake along the undersea Nankai Trough south of Japan in the next three decades had marginally increased to 75-82 percent. This was followed by a new damage estimate in March from the Cabinet Office, which said a Nankai Trough megaquake and tsunami could cause 298,000 deaths in Japan. Despite being a routine update of a previous 2014 figure, the estimate appears to have fanned tourists' fears. A YouTube video featuring a feng shui master urging viewers not to visit Japan, published by local media outlet HK01, has been viewed more than 100,000 times. Don Hon, one of Hong Kong's 7.5 million residents, does not entirely believe the online claims, but has still been influenced by them. 'I will just take it as a precaution, and won't make any particular plans to travel to Japan,' the 32-year-old social worker said. And if a friend were to ask him to visit Japan in July, Hon 'might suggest going somewhere else'. 'No reason to worry' Hong Kong-based Greater Bay Airlines has reduced flights to Japan's southern Tokushima region, a local tourism official told AFP. 'The company told us demand has rapidly decreased amid rumours there will be a big quake and tsunami in Japan this summer,' she said. 'Three scheduled weekly round-trip flights will be reduced to two round-trips per week from May 12 to October 25.' The airline is also reducing its flights to Sendai in the northern region of Miyagi. 'There's no reason to worry,' Miyagi's governor Yoshihiro Murai reassured travellers, adding that Japanese people are not fleeing. But 'if unscientific rumours on social media are impacting tourism, that would be a major problem', he said last month. According to the Japan National Tourism Organization, the number of Hong Kong visitors in March stood at 208,400 — down nearly 10 percent year-on-year. However, this decline was partly due to the Easter holidays starting in mid-April this year, instead of March, they said. Hong Kong-based EGL Tours has not seen a massive decline in customers travelling to Japan, its executive director Steve Huen Kwok-chuen said. But recent bookings at its two hotels in Japan show fewer from Hong Kong guests, while the number from other global destinations remains stable. In any case, in the likely event that the predictions do not come to pass, 'people will realise it's not true', he said.
Kuwait Times
16-05-2025
- Kuwait Times
‘Unscientific' Japan megaquake rumors spook HK tourists
HONG KONG: Unfounded online rumors warning that a huge earthquake will soon strike Japan are taking a toll on travel firms and airlines who report less demand from worried Hong Kongers. People from Hong Kong made nearly 2.7 million trips to Japan in 2024. Although it is impossible to know exactly when earthquakes will hit, fear-inducing predictions have spread widely among the city's residents. Some of the false posts cite a Japanese manga comic, republished in 2021, which predicts a major natural disaster in July 2025 - based on the author's dream. Other posts give different dates, while a Facebook group that claims to predict disasters in Japan has over a quarter of a million members, mainly in Hong Kong and Taiwan. 'The earthquake prophecy has absolutely caused a big change to our customers' preferences,' said Frankie Chow, head of Hong Kong travel agency CLS Holiday. Chow told AFP that in March and April his company received 70-80 percent fewer inquiries about travelling to Japan than last year. 'I've never experienced this before,' said Chow, who also runs the booking website While some people changed their destination, others 'did not dare to travel', he said. Mild to moderate earthquakes are common in Japan, where strict building codes minimize damage, even from larger shakes. But the nation is no stranger to major disasters, including in 2011 when a magnitude-9.0 quake triggered a tsunami that left 18,500 people dead or missing and caused a devastating meltdown at the Fukushima nuclear plant. Earthquakes are very rarely felt in Hong Kong, but some people are easily spooked by disinformation, Chow said. Last month, Tokyo's Cabinet Office said on social media platform X: 'Predicting earthquakes by date, time and place is not possible based on current scientific knowledge.' A Cabinet Office official told AFP that the X post was part of its usual information-sharing about earthquakes. But Japan's Asahi Shimbun daily reported that it was responding to prophecies that sprung up online after a Japanese government panel in January released a new estimate for the probability of a 'megaquake'. The panel said the chance of a massive earthquake along the undersea Nankai Trough south of Japan in the next three decades had marginally increased to 75-82 percent. This was followed by a new damage estimate in March from the Cabinet Office, which said a Nankai Trough megaquake and tsunami could cause 298,000 deaths in Japan. Despite being a routine update of a previous 2014 figure, the estimate appears to have fanned tourists' fears. A YouTube video featuring a feng shui master urging viewers not to visit Japan, published by local media outlet HK01, has been viewed more than 100,000 times. Don Hon, one of Hong Kong's 7.5 million residents, does not entirely believe the online claims, but has still been influenced by them. 'I will just take it as a precaution, and won't make any particular plans to travel to Japan,' the 32-year-old social worker said. And if a friend were to ask him to visit Japan in July, Hon 'might suggest going somewhere else'. 'No reason to worry' Hong Kong-based Greater Bay Airlines has reduced flights to Japan's southern Tokushima region, a local tourism official told AFP. 'The company told us demand has rapidly decreased amid rumors there will be a big quake and tsunami in Japan this summer,' she said. 'Three scheduled weekly round-trip flights will be reduced to two round-trips per week from May 12 to October 25.' The airline is also reducing its flights to Sendai in the northern region of Miyagi. 'There's no reason to worry,' Miyagi's governor Yoshihiro Murai reassured travelers, adding that Japanese people are not fleeing. But 'if unscientific rumors on social media are impacting tourism, that would be a major problem', he said last month. According to the Japan National Tourism Organization, the number of Hong Kong visitors in March stood at 208,400 - down nearly 10 percent year-on-year. However, this decline was partly due to the Easter holidays starting in mid-April this year, instead of March, they said. Hong Kong-based EGL Tours has not seen a massive decline in customers travelling to Japan, its executive director Steve Huen Kwok-chuen said. But recent bookings at its two hotels in Japan show fewer from Hong Kong guests, while the number from other global destinations remains stable. In any case, in the likely event that the predictions do not come to pass, 'people will realize it's not true', he said.- AFP
Express Tribune
15-05-2025
- Express Tribune
'Unscientific' Japan megaquake alerts cause drop in Hong Kong tourism
Listen to article Tourism to Japan from Hong Kong is taking a noticeable hit as online rumours predicting a massive earthquake continue to spread across social media platforms, prompting unease among travellers and forcing airlines and tour operators to adjust services. Hong Kong residents made nearly 2.7 million trips to Japan in 2024, but local travel agencies report a significant decline in inquiries and bookings for 2025, particularly for trips scheduled in summer months. The shift comes despite repeated scientific assurances from Japanese authorities that earthquakes cannot be predicted with precision. Frankie Chow, head of travel agency CLS Holiday, said customer interest in Japan dropped by 70–80% in March and April compared to the same period last year. 'I've never experienced this before,' Chow told AFP, noting that clients are either postponing trips or changing destinations altogether due to fears of a so-called 'megaquake.' The rumours circulating in Hong Kong and Taiwan include claims based on a republished Japanese manga that allegedly predicts a natural disaster in July 2025. Others refer to a Facebook group that purports to forecast earthquakes in Japan and has amassed over a quarter million members, many from Hong Kong. While Japan experiences frequent seismic activity, the country's strict building regulations and disaster preparedness protocols have historically minimised damage. Major quakes are rare but not unprecedented, such as the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami, which caused widespread destruction and killed over 18,000 people. In January, a Japanese government panel slightly increased the estimated probability of a magnitude 8.0 or higher quake along the Nankai Trough to 75–82% over the next 30 years. A follow-up Cabinet Office report in March estimated that such a quake and resulting tsunami could cause up to 298,000 deaths. While these figures were updated to older assessments, they appear to have fuelled public anxiety, particularly online. In response to the misinformation, Japan's Cabinet Office posted on social media platform X last month: 'Predicting earthquakes by date, time, and place is not possible based on current scientific knowledge.' An official told AFP that the post was part of routine public communication, though Japanese media have linked it to online claims. The impact on tourism has already begun to show. Hong Kong's Greater Bay Airlines has announced reductions in its weekly round-trip flights to Tokushima and Sendai, citing low demand caused by the earthquake rumours. A tourism official in Tokushima confirmed the change, noting that it will remain in effect from May 12 to October 25. Steve Huen Kwok-chuen, executive director at Hong Kong-based EGL Tours, said his agency had not observed a steep drop in Japan-bound bookings. However, he acknowledged a decrease in Hong Kong visitors at the group's hotels in Japan, while bookings from other countries remained stable. A YouTube video published by local outlet HK01, in which a feng shui practitioner warns viewers against visiting Japan this summer, has racked up over 100,000 views. Despite the lack of scientific basis, the predictions have influenced some travellers like Don Hon, a 32-year-old social worker, who told AFP that while he doesn't fully believe the forecasts, he is avoiding Japan out of caution. 'If a friend asked me to go in July, I'd probably suggest somewhere else,' Hon said. Officials in Japan have expressed concern that misinformation may damage the country's tourism recovery. Miyagi Governor Yoshihiro Murai reassured travellers that there was no reason to worry, but warned that 'if unscientific rumours on social media are impacting tourism, that would be a major problem.' Despite the downturn in confidence, industry experts believe the effect may be temporary. 'Once July passes without incident, people will realise it's not true,' said Huen.
