The title of the manga book by artist Ryo Tatsuki basically says it all: "The Future I Saw". In the book, published in 1999 and republished in 2021, the author says that in July 2025, the seabed halfway between Japan and the Philippines will explode. This, according to Tatsuki's prophecies, will lead to a huge tsunami that will destroy the Pacific coast of Japan, reports the German public broadcaster ARD.
In the meantime, the book and the scenarios contained in it are attracting enormous attention and are being taken very seriously by readers. There are two reasons for this, ARD explains. On the one hand, Tatsuki, who is called "Japanese Grandma Vanga", already knew – in 1999 she predicted in a manga that in 2011 Japan would be hit by an earthquake, nuclear disaster and tsunami. And so it happened. The tsunami of March 2011 resulted in over 18,000 victims and caused the nuclear disaster in Fukushima.
Moreover, the threat of such natural disasters is not at all unusual for Japan – earthquakes are part of the daily routine. Many experts and official sources expect with an 80 percent probability that such an event will hit the country again in the next 30 years, i.e. that it will lead to a huge earthquake, ARD also writes.
Less risks – and a misconception
Currently, many tourists are canceling their trips to Japan. Airlines are reducing their flights, and some have even partially suspended them due to the collapse in demand - especially from Hong Kong and China, the German public media adds.
The Japan Tourism Agency also confirms that the number of tourists from certain areas - such as Hong Kong - has fallen by ten percent. Apparently, the greatest attention has been paid there to Tatsuki's manga, ARD suggests.
The head of the Japan Meteorological Agency felt compelled to appear before the media and state that earthquakes cannot be predicted scientifically and that such predictions are misleading.
There is no panic
In Japan itself, this topic is hardly discussed - it only finds an echo on social media. And some Japanese are also happy that fewer Chinese tourists are coming to the country - they are not particularly popular, writes ARD.
Many Japanese have only learned about the effect caused by the book through social media. The Japanese have experience with earthquakes and are relatively calm about the topic - they know how to behave in an earthquake and what could happen to them. Panic buying of products has hardly been recorded.
Tatsuki herself is calm about the tension that has arisen. Apparently, interest in preparing for possible disasters is growing, and that is a good thing, she told the newspaper "Mainichi Shimbun". ARD points out that sales of her book are going well.
Author: Torsten Ifland (ARD)