"July 2025 Manga Disaster Prediction Spurs Travel Cancellations"

In recent weeks, a previously obscure manga has captured headlines in Japan and internationally. "The Future I Saw" (Watashi ga Mita Mirai), by author Ryo Tatsuki, suggests Japan will experience a massive natural disaster in July 2025. This forecast has reportedly led some travelers to cancel summer trips to Japan, and the topic has surged across Japanese social media. Why are some individuals accepting Tatsuki’s predictions, and how is an upcoming horror film connected to the growing concern?

Ryo Tatsuki’s manga "The Future I Saw" originally debuted in 1999. It stars a fictionalized version of Tatsuki and draws from dream diaries she has maintained since 1985. The 1999 edition’s cover depicts Tatsuki’s character with a hand near one eye, with postcards above her head alluding to various "visions" she claims to have witnessed. One postcard reads "March 2011: A Great Disaster." Following the catastrophic Tohoku Earthquake and Tsunami in March 2011, the manga was rediscovered, driving demand and high prices for the out-of-print book on auction sites.

A new "Complete Edition" of Tatsuki’s manga was published in 2021. This version included an additional premonition: an even larger natural disaster will strike Japan in July 2025. Tatsuki claims a tsunami three times the size of the March 2011 event will occur. With her previous March 2011 prediction seeming accurate, details about the July 2025 warning rapidly spread on Japanese social platforms.

As other media have noted, Tatsuki’s July 2025 prediction may be causing some superstitious individuals to avoid travel to Japan this summer. The extent of this decline remains unclear but appears most significant in Hong Kong, where a translated version of the manga is available. According to the Sankei Shimbun and CNN, Hong Kong-based fortune-teller and TV personality Master Seven has amplified Tatsuki’s prediction, stating Japan's earthquake risk will be elevated between June and August this year.

Japanese television reports have focused on reactions from Hong Kong-based airlines. Earlier this month, outlets like ANN News reported that Hong Kong Airlines canceled its three weekly flights to Sendai, a city heavily affected by the 2011 earthquake. Similarly, Greater Bay Airlines is reducing direct flights from Hong Kong to Sendai and Tokushima from May to October, citing a sudden drop in travel demand to Japan. Suggested reasons include the July disaster predictions and increasing economic uncertainty. During an April press conference, Miyagi Prefecture Governor Yoshihiro Murai, where Sendai is located, criticized the "unscientific basis" of the disaster predictions circulating online and advised travelers to disregard them.

Naturally, this mainstream media attention on "The Future I Saw" and its alleged effect on tourism has thrust the manga back into the spotlight. On May 23, it was reported the Complete Edition had sold over 1 million copies. This renewed interest aligns with an upcoming film titled "July 5 2025, 4:18 AM," scheduled for release in Japanese theaters on June 27. The movie, which follows a protagonist whose birthday is July 5 as strange events unfold, draws inspiration from the July 2025 earthquake prediction in Tatsuki’s manga. The media coverage surrounding the manga and its forecast is likely boosting awareness for the film.

However, some social media discussions and videos in Japan mistakenly claim the movie's title refers to the exact date of the predicted disaster, mixing scientific earthquake data with alarmist warnings. This prompted publisher Asuka Shinsha to issue a clarifying statement: "We reiterate that the author (Tatsuki) did not specify the exact date and time referenced in the film's title. We ask everyone to be cautious of misinformation from fragmented news and social media posts."

Japan is no stranger to natural disasters, from earthquakes and tsunamis to floods and landslides. While Tatsuki’s premonition may lack scientific backing, it taps into a broader, scientifically supported concern. Seismologists estimate a 70-80% probability of a Nankai Trough megaquake occurring within the next 30 years (sources: Asahi News, Kobe University). This threat returned to Japanese news this year when the government updated its projected casualty figures for such an event in late March 2025. A Nankai Trough megaquake could affect vast areas of Japan, impacting major cities and potentially causing around 300,000 deaths. It could also trigger massive tsunamis, which is why fearmongering content often links Tatsuki’s prediction with worst-case scientific scenarios for a Nankai Trough quake. Importantly, accurately predicting the precise timing and location of a major earthquake and tsunami remains impossible—the Japan Meteorological Agency labels such predictions as "hoaxes" on its website. Given Japan's high disaster risk, Tatsuki’s accurate March 2011 prediction may have been a coincidence.

In recent weeks, many Japanese-speaking commentators on X have criticized the media hype and panic around Tatsuki’s prediction. One user stated, "It's foolish to believe disaster predictions from a manga. The Nankai Trough quake could happen any day." Tatsuki herself has addressed the attention, expressing hope that interest in her manga improves public disaster preparedness but urging people not to be "overly influenced" by her premonition and to "act on expert advice" (Mainichi Shimbun).