Recently, a Japanese manga predicted that a major disaster would strike on July 5, causing many tourists to hesitate in traveling to Japan before summer vacation. CNN reported that this manga had previously ambiguously predicted the disaster in March 2011, which has resulted in renewed discussions. The allure of such predictions appears linked to a trend of mysticism that surged in the 1970s.

As this prediction spread, panic escalated globally, leading Hong Kong Airlines to cancel some flights to Japan and ticket bookings to drop by half compared to last year, with projections estimating a loss of 560 billion yen (approximately $11.21 billion TWD) to the Japanese economy. Experts note that the nature of earthquakes cannot be accurately predicted, and scientists focus on the potential causes of significant quakes deep below the Nankai Trough rather than dreams.

The manga's author, Ryuju Ryo, has garnered significant attention for claiming that an underwater volcanic eruption will trigger a tsunami on July 5. Online users eagerly shared this information, warning others to avoid traveling to Japan at this time. Yoshihiro Ito, a seismologist from Kyoto University, explained that predicting earthquakes based on current data is exceptionally difficult due to the limited 30 to 40 years of observational data, making it impossible to directly measure subterranean crustal stress states.

Additionally, the rise of social media has coincided with a boom in mysticism, leading many users to realize the potential traffic and profits from creating such content. Yoshihiro Ito emphasized that regardless of whether a major earthquake occurs in the Nankai Trough over the next 30 years, the focus should be on preparedness based on scientific knowledge to prevent excessive panic during disasters.