Prophecy panic: Tourists flee Japan over earthquake warning
Tourists are widely canceling trips to Japan due to a prophecy in a comic. The author of the comic had previously predicted the Fukushima disaster in 2011 in another of her works.
According to CNN, tourists, especially those from East Asia, are significantly abandoning their travel plans to Japan. The reason is a prophecy contained in the 2021 manga (Japanese comic) "The Future I Saw" by Ryo Tatsuki, which warns of an earthquake expected to occur on July 5th this year.
In 1999, Tatsuki predicted in another comic that a disaster would occur in March 2011. When a powerful earthquake indeed struck, triggering a tsunami and the nuclear disaster at the Fukushima plant, her work gained renown.
Tourists fear the prophecy
CN Yuen, director of the travel agency WWPKG, said that during the Easter holidays, bookings dropped by half, and the situation is expected to get even worse in the next two months. Fears of the earthquake primarily deter tourists from China and Hong Kong, but also from Thailand and Vietnam, where Tatsuki's comics are very popular.
Japanese authorities, including the prime minister's office, emphasize that even the most advanced systems cannot predict earthquakes with the accuracy that fortune-tellers suggest. The governor of Miyagi Prefecture, Murai, expressed concern about the impact of unscientific rumors on tourism.
Ryo Tatsuki was recently asked to comment on the canceled reservations. The author stated that she believes it is beneficial that her work contributes to better preparing people for natural disasters.
