Manga’s 2025 Japan Disaster Prediction Fuels Fear, Impacts Travel Plans

In recent weeks, a lesser-known manga has captured attention in Japan and beyond. “The Future I Saw” by Ryo Tatsuki predicts a catastrophic natural disaster striking Japan in July 2025. This forecast has prompted some travelers to cancel summer trips to Japan, gaining traction on Japanese social media. What drives belief in Tatsuki’s predictions? And how has an upcoming Japanese horror film become entangled in this wave of concern?

Ryo Tatsuki’s manga, “The Future I Saw,” first appeared in 1999, featuring Tatsuki as a character and drawing from her dream diaries kept since 1985. The 1999 edition’s cover depicts Tatsuki’s character with a hand over one eye, with postcards above her referencing various “visions.” One postcard notes “March 2011: A Great Disaster.” Following the catastrophic Tohoku Earthquake and Tsunami in March 2011, the manga resurfaced, with out-of-print copies fetching high prices at auctions.

In 2021, Tatsuki released “The Future I Saw: Complete Edition,” adding a new prophecy: a massive disaster in July 2025, with a tsunami three times larger than the 2011 event. Given her accurate 2011 prediction, news of this 2025 warning spread rapidly across Japanese social media.

Reports suggest Tatsuki’s July 2025 prediction has led some superstitious individuals to avoid traveling to Japan this summer, particularly in Hong Kong, where the manga is available in translation. According to Sankei Shimbun and CNN, Hong Kong-based fortune-teller and TV personality Master Seven amplified Tatsuki’s claims, warning of heightened earthquake risks in Japan from June to August this year.

Japanese television has focused on Hong Kong-based airlines’ reactions to these predictions. ANN News and other broadcasters reported that Hong Kong Airlines canceled its three weekly flights to Sendai, a city heavily affected by the 2011 quake. Similarly, Greater Bay Airlines has cut direct flights from Hong Kong to Sendai and Tokushima between May and October, citing reduced travel demand linked to the disaster predictions and economic uncertainty. At an April press conference, Miyagi Prefecture Governor Yoshihiro Murai, where Sendai is located, dismissed the predictions as “unscientific” and encouraged tourists to disregard them.

The heightened media focus on “The Future I Saw” and its supposed impact on tourism has thrust the manga back into the spotlight. On May 23, reports indicated the Complete Edition sold over 1 million copies. This surge in interest aligns with the upcoming Japanese film “July 5 2025, 4:18 AM,” set to premiere on June 27. The movie, inspired by Tatsuki’s July 2025 prediction, centers on a protagonist whose birthday is July 5, with strange events unfolding. Media coverage of the manga likely boosts the film’s visibility.

However, some Japanese social media posts and videos have inaccurately linked the movie’s title to the exact date of the predicted disaster, mixing scientific earthquake data with sensationalized warnings. This prompted publisher Asuka Shinsha to issue a statement: “We clarify that the author (Tatsuki) did not specify the date and time mentioned in the movie title. We urge caution against being misled by incomplete information in media and social platforms.”

Japan frequently faces natural disasters, from earthquakes and tsunamis to floods and landslides. While Tatsuki’s prediction may lack scientific backing, it taps into real, evidence-based concerns. Seismologists estimate a 70-80% chance of a Nankai Trough megaquake striking Japan within the next 30 years, according to Asahi News and Kobe University. In March 2025, the Japanese government revised its projected death toll for such an event, estimating around 300,000 fatalities and massive tsunamis affecting major cities. Fearful posts often blend Tatsuki’s prophecy with these scientific projections, though the Japan Meteorological Agency labels such precise predictions as “hoaxes” on its homepage. Tatsuki’s 2011 prediction may have been a fortunate coincidence.

Many Japanese-speaking users on X have criticized the media frenzy and panic over Tatsuki’s forecast. One user remarked, “It’s foolish to trust disaster predictions from a manga. The Nankai Trough quake could strike anytime.” Tatsuki herself addressed the buzz, stating she’s glad if her manga has raised disaster preparedness but advises against overreacting to her prophecy, urging people to follow expert guidance (Mainichi Shimbun).