[#Japanese Doomsayer Begins to Change His Mind#] Japanese manga artist Ryotaro Okamoto, in his work “The Future I See,” predicted a major earthquake on July 5, 2025. Despite publishing a new work last month, Okamoto has now changed his mind, stating that the day itself might not necessarily see significant events. He explained that the creation of the dream was merely a record of dreams into manga, and the date in the dream does not necessarily represent an imminent disaster. However, this prediction has become a hot topic recently, even affecting Japan’s tourism market unexpectedly.
This prediction was initially only known to certain communities, but due to Okamoto’s past suspected predictions of historical events, his influence gradually spread. According to reports by NHK, since 2023, earthquake predictions have entered the public discussion, and after March this year, the number of rumors began to rise uncharacteristically.
The Japan Meteorological Agency and various government departments in Miyagi Prefecture have publicly clarified that earthquakes cannot be predicted, urging the public not to panic excessively and to refer to professional earthquake early warning systems and actual disaster prevention measures. In the vicinity of the Tokawa Islands in Miyagi Prefecture, which experienced over 1,160 earthquakes in 13 days, including the first 6-onset magnitude 5.5 strong quake on the 3rd at Yoshino Island, residents were so frightened they couldn’t sleep. On the morning of the 4th, 13 people took boats to safety to the 250-kilometer-away city of Miyagi.