Source: OT-Team(G), NHK WORLD
Hong Kong Airlines has decided to cancel its flights to southern Japan in July and August amid an unfounded rumor that a major earthquake and tsunami will hit the country this summer.
These rumors are from a Japanese comic book
The earthquake speculation reportedly comes from the manga The Future I Saw: Complete Edition (2022) by artist Ryo Tatsuki, and has since gone viral online.
"The real catastrophe will come in July 2025," a line from the book read.
According to local publication Japan Forward, Tatsuki previously gained attention for allegedly "predicting" the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake in a manga published in 1996.
Flight Bookings Decline Amid Quake Rumors
In Hong Kong, the rumor has caused a decrease in travel demand to Japan and led to reduced flights since May between Hong Kong and various destinations in Japan.
Hong Kong Airlines decided to cancel all its flights to the southern Japanese prefectures of Kagoshima and Kumamoto in July and August.
The airline resumed the Kagoshima route in the spring of last year for the first time in four years. In December, it increased the number of weekly round trips from three to four due to strong demand for travel to Japan.
Sources say seat occupancy on the flights declined from this spring, when the quake rumor began to spread.
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The Kagoshima Prefectural Office in Hong Kong said it will call on the airline and others to resume the flights as soon as possible.
The Japan National Tourism Organization said the rumor has no scientific basis and urged people to make travel plans based on scientific information provided by official organizations.
The Japan Meteorological Agency states on its website: "In general, information that predicts the specific date and location of an earthquake is considered to be a hoax."
Meanwhile, Hong Kong Airlines said affected passengers could re-book for alternative destinations, including other cities in Japan and the Chinese, as well as Taipei, Bangkok and Vietnam's Da Nang.
"We deeply apologise for the inconvenience caused by this flight adjustment and promise to do our best to assist affected passengers and provide proper travel arrangements," it said.
Timothy Chui Ting-pong, executive director of the Hong Kong Tourism Association, said
the airline's changes were reasonable in light of the drop-off in demand, while other destinations such as the mainland and countries in southeast Asia had become increasingly popular.
"I think the cancellation will only be in the short term. Hongkongers' passion for travelling outside the city remains strong," he said.
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