JAPAN’S tourism resurgence is hitting unexpected turbulence— not from geopolitics or pandemic, but from a viral comic book rumor that has grounded tourists in fear. 

A wave of social media panic, sparked by a manga storyline predicting a deadly earthquake and tsunami, is now having real-world consequences for Japan’s booming tourism industry.

At the center of the anxiety is “The Future I Saw”, a 1999 Japanese comic book by manga artist Ryo Tatsuki. 

The book contains a series of dream-based “prophecies,” including one that eerily referred to a “great disaster” in March 2011 — the same month a 9.0-magnitude earthquake triggered a massive tsunami and nuclear meltdown in Fukushima. 

That coincidence earned the comic a cult following.

In 2021, Tatsuki released an updated edition, warning that “the real catastrophe” would arrive in July 2025. The comic suggests that between July 5 and 7, a powerful earthquake and tsunami would strike Japan and neighboring countries. 

While the claim is fictional and lacks any scientific basis, it has gone viral online and caused fear among travelers. Japan’s vulnerability to natural disasters has given the rumor an air of plausibility in the eyes of some anxious tourists. 

However, seismologists say that there’s no scientific evidence for this claim. 

In a post on X last month, the Japanese Cabinet Office’s Disaster Prevention Division stated that, with current scientific knowledge, it is not possible to predict an earthquake’s date, time, or location — and that earthquakes can occur at any time.

Despite that clarification, the impact is already being felt. Airlines have begun scaling back flights between Hong Kong and Japan due to a decline in passenger demand. Travel agencies have also reported a drop in bookings from concerned tourists.

Local officials have voiced concern over the spread of such unverified claims, noting that even baseless rumors can have real consequences for tourism-dependent regions.