Japan hit a record number of visitors this year, with April reaching an all-time high of 3.9 million visitors/month.
However, in May 2025, the number of tourists to Japan decreased, in which the number of tourists from Hong Kong (China) decreased by 11% compared to the same period last year.
Mr. Steve Huen, representative of Hong Kong-based travel company EGL Tours (China), said that this is the result of a prophecy spread on social networks related to a Japanese comic book (manga). The prophecy in this comic predicts a huge earthquake and Tsunami that will occur in Japan and neighboring countries in July 2025.
According to Mr. Huen, these rumors have a huge impact. His company's business in Japan has halved. Discount policies and implementation of earthquake insurance help avoid the number of visitors to Japan falling to zero.
Branden Choi, 28, lives in Hong Kong (China), often travels to Japan but was hesitant when deciding to go to Japan in July and August 2025 due to the prophecy from the above comic book. If possible, I will postpone my trip until the end of September 2025, said the Hong Kong (China) tourist.
The comic book The Future I saw by Ryo Tatsuki, first published in 1999, then reprinted in 2021. Ryo Tatsuki has tried to appease the speculation, stressing that she is not a prophecy.
The first edition of The Future I saw predicted a major natural disaster in March 2011. Then, at this time, a major earthquake, Tsunami and nuclear disaster occurred on the southeastern coast of Japan, killing thousands of people.
Recently, there have been interpretations that the latest edition of The Future I saw predicts another disaster to come on July 5, 2025, although Ryo Tatsuki has denied the information.
Located in the "Pacific Ring Road", Japan is one of the countries most affected by earthquakes in the world. More than 900 earthquakes, mostly minor ones, have recently occurred on islands off the southern tip of Kyushu.
Robert Geller, a professor at the University of Tokyo, who has been specializing in seismic research since 1971, said that predicting earthquakes based on science is also impossible. "No prediction I have ever experienced in my scientific career is accurate," he noted.
However, rumors of the disaster have raised concerns for travelers planning to travel to Japan. Low-cost airline Greater Bay Airlines has become the latest Hong Kong (China) airline to cancel flights to Japan on July 2 due to low demand. Greater Bay Airlines said it will stop operating flights to Tokushima, western Japan from September 2025.
