A surge in travel cancellations to Japan has followed renewed attention to a Japanese manga that predicts a major earthquake on July 5, 2025. The phenomenon has sparked concern among tourists, particularly in East and Southeast Asia.
The manga, The Future I Saw by Ryo Tatsuki, was originally published in 1999 but recently resurfaced in public discourse because of its purportedly accurate predictions of major global events.
Notably, it included a forecast of the devastating 9.0-magnitude earthquake and subsequent tsunami that struck Japan in March 2011, causing thousands of deaths and triggering the Fukushima nuclear crisis — the worst such disaster since Chernobyl.
A specific entry in the manga has now captured public attention, warning of a massive earthquake in Japan on July 5, 2025. While Japanese authorities have previously acknowledged the risk of a powerful seismic event in the Nankai Trough — an area known for its tectonic volatility — the fictional depiction has added a layer of anxiety among travellers. Official estimates suggest such a quake could result in over 300,000 casualties.
This renewed fear has had immediate consequences for the tourism sector. CN Yuen, executive director of the Hong Kong-based travel agency WWPKG, said bookings for trips to Japan dropped by more than half over the recent holiday period.
The downward trend is expected to continue in the coming months, particularly among tourists from Hong Kong and mainland China, who have cited the manga’s prediction as a reason for postponing travel.
Concerns are also spreading to other countries in the region, including Thailand and Vietnam, where social media platforms are now awash with warnings and cautionary messages urging travellers to reconsider trips to Japan.
With The Future I Saw having sold more than 900,000 copies — including Chinese-language editions — the reach and impact of Tatsuki’s work continue to reverberate well beyond Japan’s borders.
