Japan on edge: Manga’s July 5 ‘catastrophe prophecy’ sparks panic-is history about to repeat?

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Japan on edge: Manga's July 5 'disaster prophecy' sparks panic-is history about to repeat?
Japanese artist Ryo Tatsuki and consultant picture of tsunami

TOKYO: Japan is holding its breath forward of July 5, 2025, as a decades-old manga prediction ignites fears of an imminent, catastrophic pure catastrophe. The supply: Watashi ga Mita Mirai (“The Future I Saw”), a manga primarily based on the dream journals of reclusive artist Ryo Tatsuki, which chillingly forecasted the March 2011 tsunami-and now warns of one other main occasion this weekend.First revealed in 1999, Tatsuki’s manga remained obscure till after the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami, when readers observed an entry referencing a “Major disaster in March 2011” scrawled on the duvet. That obvious prediction led to a cult following-and now, renewed concern following the discharge of an expanded 2021 version that flags July 5, 2025, because the date of one other devastating occasion, as per a Bloomberg opinion by Gearoid Reidy.In her replace, Tatsuki describes a strong eruption within the Philippine Sea triggering a tsunami “three times the height” of 2011’s waves. While the manga stops in need of naming a location, readers and media have latched onto the eerie specificity. According to Bloomberg, the date has turn into a subject of great discussion-surfacing in cafes, bars, and social feeds throughout the nation.Scientific companies, nonetheless, urge warning. The Japan Meteorological Agency posted on social media that “any such predictions should be considered unreliable.” Yet the federal government’s personal warnings about the looming Nankai Trough megaquake-believed possible to happen inside our lifetime-make it more durable for the general public to dismiss prophetic claims outright. Last yr, a authorities alert about elevated seismic threat triggered widespread anxiousness, and even prompted a nationwide spike in rice hoarding.The panic isn’t simply psychological. The prophecy is already affecting Japan’s financial system. Bloomberg experiences that Takahide Kiuchi, govt economist on the Nomura Research Institute, estimates ¥560 billion ($3.9 billion) in potential injury if tourism continues to decline. Airlines like Greater Bay Airlines in Hong Kong have already diminished flights, citing a 30% drop in bookings-blaming concern tied immediately to the manga’s forecast.Even feng shui practitioners in Asia are amplifying the warning. One standard professional echoed the July catastrophe window, predicting a significant earthquake between June and August. The ripple impact has prompted Japanese governors to weigh in. Miyagi Prefecture’s Yoshihiro Murai known as the spreading rumors “a problem,” and Tokushima’s Masazumi Gotoda reminded the general public that such occasions can occur anytime, wherever.Still, skepticism is widespread. Online commenters in Japan have met the prophecy with a mixture of sarcasm and resignation: “Gee, thanks a lot, occult YouTubers,” quipped one. Others expressed fatigue with recurring doomsday claims, questioning Tatsuki’s motives: “If she’s right about this one, I’ll believe her. Otherwise, she can take a hike.”The manga’s recognition continues to surge-over 1 million copies sold-and Tatsuki, as soon as silent, has distanced herself from the precise timing of her July 5 prediction. But her status rides on it. As Bloomberg’s Gearoid Reidy put it: “Two really is the magic number that few – if any – earthquake predictors have managed to achieve.”In the possible occasion that nothing occurs on Saturday, the hype could fade. Some could really feel embarrassed, others could really feel vindicated. But as Reidy writes, maybe the one true takeaway is a reminder we’d all do nicely to heed: put together for disaster-not as a result of a comic book e book says so, however as a result of in Japan, the subsequent huge one isn’t a matter of if, however when.



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