Tatsuki Ryo, a Japanese manga artist born in 1954, is believed to possess the supernatural ability to foresee future disasters through her dreams. It is said that Tatsuki Ryo recorded 15 prophetic dreams, 13 of which have already come true. These predictions include major events such as the death of Queen lead singer Freddie Mercury from AIDS (November 24, 1991), Princess Diana’s fatal car crash (August 31, 1997), the Great Hanshin Earthquake in Kobe (January 17, 1995), and the Great East Japan Earthquake (March 11, 2011).
In 2021, a complete edition of her manga “The Future I Saw” was released, including her most terrifying prophecy yet: On July 5, 2025 at 4:18 a.m., the seabed between Japan and the Philippines will rupture, triggering a volcanic eruption, a magnitude-9+ earthquake, and a tsunami up to 40 meters high. As a result of the massive waves, the land will be pushed and uplifted—causing Hong Kong, Taiwan, and the Philippines to appear connected. One-third of Japan’s coastline will be submerged, and she even foresaw her own death in the catastrophe.
At the end of her manga, Tatsuki Ryo wrote:
“If nothing happens in July 2025, wait another five or ten years…”
In other words, she suggested that similar disasters—such as earthquakes and tsunamis leading to Japan’s submersion—could still occur in 2030 or 2035.
This prophecy, combined with the recent spike in seismic activity around Japan’s southwestern islands and nearby waters, has stirred anxiety in Japanese society. Since May, the number of international flights from China to Japan has dropped significantly. Even once-popular routes like Hong Kong to Japan have become noticeably less busy compared to previous years.
“I really don’t understand who started spreading these rumors—they’ve become so exaggerated and sensational,” one person commented. In response to growing public concern, Japanese officials quickly stepped in. The Japan Tourism Agency dismissed the claims, calling the prophecy “completely unscientific” and urged the public not to believe in baseless rumors.
On June 13, Ryuuichi Nomura, Director of the Japan Meteorological Agency, addressed the issue at a press conference, publicly refuting the so-called "doomsday prediction." He stated that, based on the current level of scientific knowledge, it is impossible to predict the exact time, location, and magnitude of an earthquake. He concluded that “predictions like that are simply false rumors.”
In the end, prophecies are just rumors—and rumors stop with the wise. As a country historically prone to earthquakes, Japan’s focus should be on daily disaster preparedness, rather than placing faith in unverifiable predictions.
