Japan tourism in trouble due to earthquake 'prophecy' in July

Japan's tourism sees good growth this year thanks to the weakening yen - Photo: AFP

Japan's tourism industry is facing an unexpected shock, with visitor numbers from key Asian markets such as Hong Kong, Taiwan and South Korea plummeting ahead of the peak summer season.

The cause stems from a strange rumor: Japan is about to experience a strong earthquake, based on a prophecy in a comic book published more than 20 years ago, according to Bloomberg news site on May 23.

Originated from the comic book series

The rumor stems from manga artist Ryo Tatsuki's The Future I Saw series, in which she describes a giant earthquake that will hit in July this year, triggering a tsunami that will engulf Japan and affect Hong Kong, Taiwan and the Philippines.

Although the work was published in 1999 and republished in 2021, these predictions have recently gone viral again on YouTube and Facebook, attracting millions of views.

Although scientists say it is impossible to predict exactly when an earthquake will strike, flight bookings from Taiwan, South Korea and Hong Kong to Japan have dropped since April.

Notably, the number of bookings from Hong Kong has dropped by an average of 50% compared to the same period last year, according to data from analytics firm ForwardKeys. In which, the number of bookings for late June to early July - the period "prophesized" to occur when the earthquake occurred - decreased sharply by 83%.

Previously, the best-selling comic book "The Future I Saw" in 1999 predicted that Japan would experience a major disaster in March 2011, which was also the time when the 9.1-magnitude Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami occurred in the northeast of the country - Photo: UNO JAPANO

Tourism still affected despite reassurances

Amid concerns, airlines such as Greater Bay Airlines and Hong Kong Airlines have reduced flights to Japan in May.

Last month, Japan's Miyagi prefecture governor Yoshihiro Murai spoke out to calm public opinion, saying the rumors were negatively affecting the country's tourism industry and urging the public not to believe groundless speculation.

The Japan Meteorological Agency also emphasized that current science cannot accurately predict when an earthquake will occur.

Japan sits on the Pacific Ring of Fire — a seismically active area around the Pacific Ocean — making it one of the world's most earthquake-prone places, according to Bloomberg. The last major quake hit in 2011, triggering a devastating tsunami and nuclear disaster in Fukushima.

Still, Japan’s tourism industry as a whole is booming, with a record 3.9 million foreign visitors in April, helped by the weak yen.

Still, Bloomberg Intelligence analyst Eric Zhu warns that these rumors are making travelers nervous, especially when they have many other nearby travel options such as South Korea, Taiwan and Southeast Asia.

Cathay Pacific - an airline with a very high number of flights to Japan - could be hit hard, as nearly 20% of its autumn seats are allocated to the Japanese market.

In addition to the manga rumors, the concerns were amplified by a report from the Japanese government's earthquake task force in February, which predicted that the probability of a major earthquake in the Nankai Trench with a tsunami up to 30 meters high in the next 30 years had increased to 80%.

The artist, Ryo Tatsuki, who is now retired, said she had no intention of causing panic, but only wanted to emphasize the importance of preparing for natural disasters.

“I’m also stocking up on supplies and figuring out evacuation routes when I go out,” she told Bloomberg. “I’ll be on my guard as July approaches.”

HA DAO

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/du-lich-nhat-ban-lao-dao-vi-loi-tien-tri-dong-dat-thang-7-20250524122900146.htm