worldsfeed News Desk: 4 July, 2025 A decades-old Japan earthquake prediction manga has sparked unease across East Asia, with many fearing its fictional prophecy may come true. The manga, Watashi ga Mita Mirai (“The Future I Saw”), claims that a massive earthquake and tsunami will strike Japan on 5 July 2025, leading to travel cancellations and public anxiety.
Originally self-published in 1999, the manga remained obscure until readers noted its mention of a “major disaster in March 2011” — which many linked to the tragic earthquake and subsequent Fukushima nuclear crisis. Following this retrospective association, the manga was re-released in 2021, this time predicting that the ocean floor between Japan and the Philippines would rupture, unleashing a tsunami three times larger than that of 2011.
Since then, the reissued edition has become a bestseller in Japan, generating widespread fear online, particularly in Hong Kong, Taiwan, China, and South Korea. Many travel agencies in Hong Kong report up to a 50% decline in bookings to Japan. Airlines such as Greater Bay Airlines and Hong Kong Airlines have canceled or reduced flights to cities like Sendai and Kagoshima. Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO) reports a temporary dip in regional travel.
This concern has been worsened by a recent swarm of earthquakes around Japan’s Tokara Islands in late June. Over 1,000 tremors were recorded in a single week, prompting evacuations on Akuseki Island. Although none of these quakes were linked to a tsunami or the manga’s prophecy, their timing has amplified public worry.
However, experts remain firm. The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) has clearly stated that predicting the exact timing of earthquakes is scientifically impossible. “There is no reliable data supporting this manga-based claim,” a JMA spokesperson said. Likewise, regional newspapers have published articles warning against panic and emphasizing science over speculation.
Japan does face real seismic threats. According to government reports, there is a 75–82% chance of a Nankai Trough megaquake striking within the next 30 years — a natural disaster that could cost trillions and endanger over 300,000 lives. Yet even this sobering prediction is grounded in probabilistic modeling, not fixed dates.
In response to the manga-fueled fears, Miyagi Governor Yoshihiro Murai criticized the misinformation. “This kind of pseudoscience damages public trust and harms tourism,” he said. Tourism boards across Japan have launched public awareness campaigns urging readiness without fear.
As July 5, 2025 approaches, authorities encourage citizens and travelers to remain calm and rely on trusted sources like the Japan Meteorological Agency and Disaster Prevention Japan.
While the manga’s influence on public perception is undeniable, its contents remain fiction. Still, the situation serves as a powerful reminder of the importance of media literacy, preparedness, and science-driven awareness in the face of real and imagined disasters.
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Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) – for official updates on earthquakes and tsunami warnings
👉 https://www.jma.go.jp/jma/indexe.html -
UNDRR – United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (Japan)
👉 https://www.undrr.org/ -
CNN Report on Manga Prediction (as source)
👉 https://edition.cnn.com -
Greater Bay Airlines Flight Information (for impacted travel)
👉 https://www.greaterbay-airlines.com -
Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO) – for real-time travel safety advice
👉 https://www.japan.travel/en/
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