Tourist arrivals to Japan plummet due to comic book

Japan's tourism industry has been hit hard by an unexpected source - a science fiction comic. According to CNN, the prediction of a major earthquake in Japan in July in the comic book "The Future I Saw" caused panic among tourists. This situation led to a significant decrease in the flow of international tourists to the country.

The name of the comic book author Ryo Tatsuki has been mentioned before for his sensational predictions. One of his previous works was known for "predicting" the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami. This time, he again described a major earthquake in July 2025.

Although there was no real earthquake, the existence of this work alone had a significant impact on the flow of tourists from East Asia. For example, trips from Hong Kong to Japan decreased by 50% during the Easter holidays. There have also been an increase in cancellations in countries such as China, Thailand, and Vietnam.

Along with the comic, “unscientific predictions” spread on social networks such as Instagram and TikTok, as well as analyses by feng shui experts and psychics, have further fueled the general fear.

Japanese officials and geologists, however, have stressed that the comic has “no scientific basis” and are urging tourists to rely on factual information. They say that seismological observations are constantly being conducted in the country and that the situation is fully under control.

At the same time, Japan’s tourism figures are still at a high level despite these fears. In the first quarter of 2025, more than 10 million tourists visited the country. This means that confidence in Japan remains intact.

However, this incident has shown that even fantastic information spread on social networks can lead to real economic losses.

Zamin.uz editorial staff reminds tourists that they should rely on official sources, not alarming information. How much do you think such "predictions" could affect tourism and the economy? Read 'Zamin' on Telegram!