Earthquake Premonition Scares Away Chinese Tourists, Rattles Japanese Authorities

Experts joined the heated discussion, and Japanese authorities have even issued a clarification.

Published: 5/28/2025, 6:25:18 PM EDT

Earthquake Premonition Scares Away Chinese Tourists, Rattles Japanese Authorities — Muddy tsunami water swallows vehicles and houses at a bridge in Sendai city in Japan’s Miyagi prefecture on March 11, 2011. (Hiroshi Kawahara/AFP via Getty Images)

“A real catastrophe” will occur in July 2025, in Japan—this widely circulated warning in East Asia is not from seismologists or scientists but from a Japanese manga artist and self-proclaimed clairvoyant, Ryo Tatsuki.

Initially, Tatsuki’s prophecy was shared among manga fans. However, as the date has drewn closer, the topic went viral on social media, prompting tourists to cancel their flights to Japan. Meanwhile, experts joined the heated discussion, and Japanese authorities have even issued a clarification.

What’s the Premonition?

In Tatsuki’s second book, a reprint of her first, “The Future I Saw: Complete Edition,” published in 2021, she predicted a huge catastrophe in July this year.

Her description of the disaster, seen in a dream, is extremely vivid: On the early morning of that date, she saw a huge earthquake, a significant geological shift, and a great loss of life.

She saw a sea is rising, then a violent eruption of the ocean floor in the Pacific, between Japan and the Philippines, triggering a huge tsunami, “three times larger” than the one caused by the 2011 earthquake and tsunami in Japan.

The eruption she saw led to significant land uplift. Tatsuki saw new land rising from the sea, connecting regions like Japan, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and the Philippines, dramatically altering the Pacific’s geography.

'Japanese Baba Vanga'

Tatsuki, born in 1954 in Yokohama, gained fame with her first book, “The Future I Saw,” published in 1999, which illustrated the dream diary she had envisioned. The cover of the book prominently features the text “A Big Disaster in March 2011.”

This book was overlooked at the time, until 12 years later, on March 11, 2011, when the 9.0 magnitude earthquake triggered a devastating tsunami that led to around 18,500 deaths and the meltdowns at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant.

As one of Japan’s worst natural disasters, it also caused $210–$360 billion in damage.

The alignment of her prediction brought Tatsuki huge public attention.

Other significant events Tatsuki’s supporters claim she accurately predicted include the Kobe earthquake in 1995, the death of singer Freddie Mercury in 1991, and the death of Princess Diana in 1997.

Some of her predictions failed or remain unfulfilled, like her foresight of a major eruption of Mount Fuji. Mount Fuji has remained dormant since 1707, with no major eruption as of May 2025.

Her fanbase in Japan, China, and Thailand views her as a prophetic figure, dubbing her the "Japanese Baba Vanga."

Baba Vanga, a blind Bulgarian clairvoyant, was renowned for her alleged ability to predict future events.

Butterfly Effect

The devastating scenes depicted in her dream have triggered a serious series of ripple effects in reality.

Many tourists, mainly from mainland China, Hong Kong, and other East Asian countries, have been scared away by this prediction, canceling or delaying their Japan holidays.

Hong Kong’s Greater Bay Area Airlines announced that from May 13 to Oct. 25, it will reduce the frequency of flights on the Hong Kong-Sendai route from four round-trip flights per week to three flights, and the frequency of flights on the Hong Kong-Tokushima route from three flights per week to two flights.

The airline admitted that the decrease was due to the spread of Tatsuki’s prediction.

Hiroki Ito, head of Greater Bay Airlines’ Japan office, said, “In February, we saw spring bookings fall by about 30 percent compared to our projections.”

He added, “After looking into it, we found that many people in Hong Kong believed the ‘prophecy.’ With further declines expected as July approaches, we decided to scale back flights in order to maintain the viability of the routes.”

'We’d Rather Believe It’s True'

The prophecy has been widely shared on social media, intensifying concerns.

According to Japaninsides, analysis revealed that over 1,400 videos related to the “July 2025” prediction had accumulated more than 100 million views on YouTube.

TikTok has hosted over 50 related videos, which have collectively been seen more than 40 million times.

In Chinese-speaking regions, especially Hong Kong and Taiwan, over 220 Chinese-language videos further magnified the anxiety, surpassing 52 million views.

Miss Chen, whose friends just finished a holiday in Japan last year, told NTD, “I don’t think anyone is willing to gamble with their own life. That prophecy has had a great impact on travel to Japan. The prices of air tickets have dropped a lot.

“A friend of mine has booked a trip to Japan at the end of May. If a disaster is really going to happen, it is worthwhile to etch the glory of history in memory before that,” Chen said.

A Hong Kong resident, Miss Zhang, told NTD: “Almost all my friends said they would not go to Japan. We would rather believe that it’s true.”

Japan’s Response

As discussions about disaster preparedness and doomsday scenarios flood social media, the Chinese embassy in Tokyo issued a formal travel advisory in April, citing “recent seismic activity” and “increased volcanic alerts,” and urging Chinese nationals residing in or visiting Japan to take “extra precautions against natural disasters.”

This was interpreted by some as endorsing the rumor, further fueling the panic.

Meanwhile, Japanese authorities and agencies are downplaying the prophecy.

The Japan Meteorological Agency said, “No unusual seismic patterns have been detected that would warrant a forecast for a major event in July 2025.” The agency advised against “unverified sources” influencing safety-related decisions.

The Cabinet Office’s Disaster Prevention said in an April 24 post on X that “With current scientific knowledge, it is still difficult to predict the specific time and location of an earthquake.

“So please make disaster prevention preparations in advance, such as confirming evacuation sites and evacuation routes, and securing furniture. In addition, if you feel shaking or a tsunami warning is issued, please evacuate immediately,” the statement said.

When asked about the decrease in travellers and other effects the book has had, Tatsuki replied in writing, "The high level of interest everyone is showing is proof of growing awareness of disaster prevention, and I'm taking it as a positive thing. I hope that this interest will lead to safety measures and preparedness."

Japan, situated on the Pacific Ring of Fire, a zone of intense tectonic activity, is among the most earthquake-prone nations globally.