Japan is at peace after the 'prophecy' of the July 5 disaster in comics

The Japanese government warned on July 5 of the possibility of more powerful earthquakes in the sea southwest of the country's main islands, but urged the public not to believe baseless predictions in manga comics of a major disaster.

Japanese authorities on July 4 evacuated some residents from islands near the epicenter of a 5.5-magnitude earthquake off the tip of the southernmost main island of Kyushu.

The July 3 earthquake, so strong it made it difficult to stand, was one of more than 1,000 that have struck islands in Kagoshima Prefecture in the past two weeks, sparking rumors rooted in comic book predictions that a major disaster would strike the country on July 5.

A store-written notice reading, "Believe it or not, it's up to you," is displayed at the Village Vanguard bookstore in Tokyo next to the manga The Future I Saw by artist Ryo Tatsuki.

PHOTO: REUTERS

"With current scientific knowledge, it is difficult to predict the exact time, location or size of an earthquake," Ayataka Ebita, director of the Japan Meteorological Agency's earthquake and tsunami monitoring division, said, according to Reuters.

Comic book author claims he is not a prophet

Ryo Tatsuki, the artist behind the manga The Future I Saw , first published in 1999 and republished in 2021, said she is "not a prophet" in a statement released by the publisher.

"We ask people to rely on scientific evidence to understand," Ebita said at a press conference.

The manga “The Future I Saw,” which some say predicted the catastrophic events of July 5, has kept some tourists away from Japan. Arrivals from Hong Kong, where the rumors are widespread, fell 11 percent in May from a year earlier, according to the latest data.

Japan is a country where earthquakes often occur.

PHOTO: REUTERS

Still, Japan has seen record numbers of visitors this year, with April setting a new high of 3.9 million visitors.

Earthquakes are common in Japan - one of the world's most seismically active regions. It accounts for about a fifth of the world's earthquakes measuring 6 or more on the Richter scale.

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