MANILA, Philippines – Viral rumors of a major earthquake have sparked panic and led to flight cancellations to Japan, all due to a manga prediction of a “real catastrophe” in July 2025.
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| The cover of “The Future I Saw” manga by Ryo Tatsuki and a destroyed 17th century St. Catherine Church in Porac, Pampanga. Photos from Amazon Japan and ABS-CBN News |
The prediction comes from a manga titled "The Future I Saw", published in 1999 by artist Ryo Tatsuki. The book, based on her dreams recorded in a diary, gained notoriety for predicting the March 2011 Tohoku earthquake.
In the latest edition, The Future I Saw (Complete Version), Tatsuki warns of a seismic event in July 2025. According to her vision, a crack will open beneath the seabed between Japan and the Philippines, triggering waves three times taller than those seen in the 2011 disaster.
Both Japan and the Philippines lie along the Pacific Ring of Fire — a volatile zone prone to earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.
Some readers believe Tatsuki’s prophecy pinpoints July 5, 2025 (a Saturday), as the date of the disaster. However, the artist has denied specifying any exact date.
Despite this, fear spread quickly, leading to a sharp decline in travel to Japan from several Asian countries.
Miyagi Prefecture Governor Yoshihiro Murai commented, “I believe it is a serious issue when the spread of highly unscientific rumors on social media had an effect on tourism.”
According to Bloomberg Intelligence, the impact has been strongest in South Korea, Taiwan, and Hong Kong. Using data from ForwardKeys, they reported that bookings from Hong Kong were down 50% year-on-year, with bookings between late June and early July dropping by as much as 83%.
Fans of the manga claim Tatsuki also foresaw the deaths of Princess Diana and Freddie Mercury, as well as the COVID-19 pandemic. Critics, however, argue that her predictions are too vague to be credible.
Should the Philippines be worried?
While Japan faces tourism issues from the doomsday buzz, the bigger question for Filipinos is whether the country is truly ready for a real megaquake.
For more than a decade, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) has warned about the looming “Big One” — a 7.2-magnitude quake expected to strike along the West Valley Fault.
This fault runs through major parts of Metro Manila, including Taguig, Muntinlupa, Parañaque, Quezon City, Pasig, Makati, and Marikina. It also extends to neighboring provinces such as Rizal, Laguna, Cavite, and Bulacan.
According to the Department of Science and Technology (DOST), the consequences could be catastrophic if the fault moves.
In 2013, then-PHIVOLCS Director Renato Solidum Jr. said the forecast was based on a 400-year movement cycle. The last major quake occurred in 1658 — meaning the next could strike “within our generation or the next,” he said.
In a March 2025 interview, current PHIVOLCS Director Teresito Bacolcol estimated the Big One could claim around 51,500 lives.
“The expected ground shaking in Metro Manila is intensity 8. We also expect that 12 to 13 percent of residential buildings would sustain heavy damage,” Bacolcol told GMA News.
Is the Philippines Prepared?
The Office of Civil Defense (OCD) says there’s still much to be done.
“We can’t sugarcoat our answer. We really need to catch up,” said OCD Undersecretary Ariel Nepomuceno in a TeleRadyo interview, following a 7.7-magnitude quake in Myanmar.
Nepomuceno noted that while Filipinos are familiar with the “duck, cover, and hold” drill, the country lacks sufficient earthquake-proof infrastructure.
— The Summit Express