TOKYO - A rumor predicting a major disaster in Japan this July has spread widely in Hong Kong, prompting a sharp drop in inbound tourism from the region and even flight suspensions.
On July 4th, many foreign tourists could still be seen around central Osaka. May saw a record number of international visitors to Japan for that month, reflecting a continued boom in inbound tourism. However, data show that travelers from Hong Kong are bucking the trend.
According to the Japan National Tourism Organization, the number of visitors from Hong Kong in May fell by around 24,000 compared to the same month last year—an 11% drop. Some Hong Kong tourists said they had been warned against visiting Japan this year.
"The prophecy in that book is well known in Hong Kong, and people think it's dangerous," said one tourist.
At the center of the rumor is the manga Watashi ga Mita Mirai: Kanzenban (The Future I Saw: Complete Edition) by Tatsuki Ryo, originally published in 1999. The manga, which recounts her alleged prophetic dreams, gained notoriety after one of its predictions—“a major disaster in March 2011”—was seen as foreshadowing the Great East Japan Earthquake.
The current rumor stems from another passage in the same book: “The water in the Pacific south of the Japanese archipelago will rise. This disaster will happen in July 2025.”
Although the work is entirely based on the author’s dreams and lacks scientific evidence, the passage has spread rapidly on social media platforms in Hong Kong since the beginning of the year.
“There are many people who believe in it,” one Hong Kong visitor said. “Everyone told me not to go to Japan in July, so I came in May instead.”
The effects of the rumor are now being seen on the ground. At a hotel in Osaka’s Shinsaibashi district, sales manager staff reported that guests from Hong Kong—who previously made up about 10% of their clientele—have dropped to nearly zero this month.
“When the rumor began circulating, we started getting questions like, ‘Is Japan safe right now?’” said the general manager of the hotel.
The impact has extended to airlines as well. Greater Bay Airlines, which operates five routes between Hong Kong and Japan, announced on July 2nd that it will suspend two of its international routes—from Hong Kong to Yonago Airport in Tottori Prefecture and Tokushima Airport—starting August 31st.
"We initially thought the rumors stemming from that prophetic book would fade, but starting from late May into June, it became clear that wasn’t the case,” said Hiroki Ito, head of the airline’s Japan office.
Tottori Governor Shinji Hirai expressed his shock at the suspension announcement. “We were stunned, frankly,” he said. “But we recognize that it may have been unavoidable, and we must accept the reality of the situation.”
Despite the lack of evidence, the rumor has gained such traction that even the Japan Meteorological Agency issued an unusual public comment.
“At present, there is no scientific basis for predicting the time, place, or magnitude of an earthquake,” said Ryuichi Nomura, the agency’s director. “Such information should be considered misinformation, and there is absolutely no need to be alarmed by it.”
Source: YOMIURI
