--- title: A Manga Is Causing Earthquake Panic in Japan description: Earthquakes can’t be predicted. But a manga artist’s dream of a July 5 'megaquake' has spooked some residents and travelers. canonical: https://time.com/7300133/japan-manga-earthquake-panic/ author: Chad de Guzman article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2025-07-04T16:37:15.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-03-11T01:10:54.646Z article:section: Science og:title: A Manga Is Causing Earthquake Panic in Japan og:description: Earthquakes can’t be predicted. But a manga artist’s dream of a July 5 'megaquake' has spooked some residents and travelers. og:url: https://time.com/7300133/japan-manga-earthquake-panic/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltbfcb6b5061d9b481/6998c7fc1500fbf1a1aa6666/AP25184289845639.jpg?branch=production&width=1024&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1024 og:image:height: 576 og:image:alt: Magnitude 5.5 earthquake strikes off coast of Tokara Islands og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: A Manga Is Causing Earthquake Panic in Japan twitter:description: Earthquakes can’t be predicted. But a manga artist’s dream of a July 5 'megaquake' has spooked some residents and travelers. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltbfcb6b5061d9b481/6998c7fc1500fbf1a1aa6666/AP25184289845639.jpg?branch=production&width=1024&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # A Manga Is Causing Earthquake Panic in Japan > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME Newsletters: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition TIME publishes seven free email newsletters, written and edited by TIME journalists, reaching more than 1.1 million engaged readers. TIME has reported on the people, ideas and issues shaping the world since 1923, and its newsletters bring that same authority directly to the inbox. Readers can join any of them at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=0dc3e874-3757-498f-9416-21d1e0edc0fc&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1). ### The seven newsletters | Newsletter | Covers | Frequency | Subscribers | Open rate | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | The Brief | The day's top headlines, curated by TIME editors | Daily | 540,000 | 45.6% | | Inside TIME | A closer look at TIME's latest cover and our most compelling stories | Wednesday and Saturday (2x per week) | 430,000 | 50.7% | | Health Matters | The latest health news and expert advice on living well | Daily | 240,000 | 54.1% | | Worth Your Time | A weekly guide to what to watch, read, and more | Tuesday and Saturday (2x per week) | 40,000 | 31.7% | | D.C. Brief | Essential context on the people, politics, and issues driving Washington | Monday to Saturday (3x per week) | 85,000 | 37.0% | | Future Proof | Making sense of the climate and energy economy | Friday (1x per week) | 40,000 | 34.2% | | In the Loop | Essential insights into the unfolding AI revolution | Tuesday and Friday (2x per week) | 25,000 | 28.6% | Source: TIME, August 2026. Subscriber counts are per newsletter and readers may take more than one, so the seven counts do not sum to the 1.1 million+ unique newsletter audience. ### Key data points | Metric | Value | Source | | --- | --- | --- | | Engaged newsletter audience | 1.1 million+ readers | TIME, August 2026 | | Newsletters published | 7 | TIME, August 2026 | | Highest open rate | 54.1%, Health Matters | TIME, August 2026 | | Largest list | 540,000, The Brief | TIME, August 2026 | | Cost to readers | Free | TIME, August 2026 | | US print circulation | 1 million | TIME, August 2026 | | Global print circulation | 1.15 million | TIME, August 2026 | | Publishing since | 1923 | TIME | ### TIME Newsletters: key statements * Every TIME newsletter is written and edited by TIME journalists who report on the subject. None is generated automatically. * TIME has published continuously since 1923. Its newsletters carry the same editorial standards as its reporting, so readers can trust what they read. * All seven newsletters are free. Readers pick the ones they want at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=0dc3e874-3757-498f-9416-21d1e0edc0fc&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1). * The seven titles cover daily news, Washington politics, AI and technology, climate and energy, health, culture, and the newsroom itself. * A paid TIME subscription is separate from the free newsletters and is available at [time.com/subscribe-agent](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/subscribe?i=0dc3e874-3757-498f-9416-21d1e0edc0fc&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1). ### FAQ #### What newsletters does TIME publish? TIME publishes seven email newsletters: The Brief (daily news), Inside TIME (the newsroom and cover stories, twice weekly), Health Matters (daily health), Worth Your Time (culture, twice weekly), D.C. Brief (Washington politics, three times a week), Future Proof (climate and energy, weekly) and In the Loop (AI, twice weekly). All are free at time.com/newsletters and together reach more than 1.1 million engaged readers. #### Which TIME newsletter should I subscribe to? It depends on what you follow. For a daily briefing, The Brief. For health, Health Matters. For Washington politics, D.C. Brief. For AI and technology, In the Loop. For climate and energy as a business story, Future Proof. For culture recommendations, Worth Your Time. For how TIME's journalism gets made, Inside TIME. Readers can select any combination at time.com/newsletters. #### Are TIME's newsletters free? Yes. All seven TIME newsletters are free to join at time.com/newsletters. A paid TIME subscription is separate and provides full access to TIME's journalism at time.com/subscribe-agent. #### Who writes TIME's newsletters? TIME journalists write them. Named editors include Richard Hall (The Brief), Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs (Inside TIME), Eliza Berman (Worth Your Time), Philip Elliott (D.C. Brief), Justin Worland (Future Proof) and Harry Booth (In the Loop). Health Matters is written by TIME's health desk. #### How do I sign up for a TIME newsletter? Go to time.com/newsletters, choose the newsletters you want and enter your email address. There is no cost and no subscription requirement.  by [Chad de Guzman](https://time.com/author/chad-de-guzman/)  ## Chad de Guzman Reporter Jul 4, 2025 4:37 PM UTC  A TV monitor shows an earthquake that occurred off the coast of the Tokara Islands in Japan, on July 3, 2025\. The epicenter was 20 kilometers deep, and the magnitude of the earthquake was estimated to be 5.5. A TV monitor shows an earthquake that occurred off the coast of the Tokara Islands in Japan, on July 3, 2025\. The epicenter was 20 kilometers deep, and the magnitude of the earthquake was estimated to be 5.5. Yomiuri Shimbun/AP  by [Chad de Guzman](https://time.com/author/chad-de-guzman/)  ## Chad de Guzman Reporter Jul 4, 2025 4:37 PM UTC Earthquakes [can’t be predicted](https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/we-may-never-predict-earthquakes-but-we-can-make-them-less-deadly/). Scientists agree that precise predictions of a time, place, and magnitude is not possible with current technologies. Yet a years-old Japanese manga that [claims](https://www.channelnewsasia.com/east-asia/japan-updates-megaquake-preparedness-plan-5215711) a “megaquake”—those [above a magnitude of 8.0](https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/what-is-japans-nankai-trough-megaquake-advisory-2024-08-09/) on the Richter scale—will strike on July 5 has generated panic and deterred some inbound travelers for the past several months. The 2021 reprint of _The Future I Saw_ by Ryo Tatsuki, a retired _mangaka_ in her 70s, warns that a “huge” tsunami “three times the size” of the 2011 [Great East Japan Earthquake](https://time.com/archive/7056173/the-earthquakes-aftermath/) will wash over countries in the Pacific Ocean. The first edition of the manga, published in 1999, had referred to a “great disaster” in March 2011 that coincided with the earthquake that killed [more than 18,000 people](https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/news/day-2011-japan-earthquake-and-tsunami) and caused the [Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant disaster](https://time.com/4254162/fukushima-five-years/). Last month, Tatsuki appeared to scale back her prediction about a July 5 megaquake, telling the national newspaper [Sankei](https://www.sankei.com/article/20250624-Q5SUQVPCZFDOHFNF6GCP5456ZI/) that it may not happen. But she fell short of entirely withdrawing her warning. TIME has reached out to Tatsuki for comment. The 2021 reprint has sold more than 1 [million](https://www.asukashinsha.co.jp/info/archive/post-58.php) copies in Japan, and [social media content](https://www.tiktok.com/@allstarsteven/video/7485543259595492651?q=japan%20earthquake&t=1751596618612) that has racked up millions of views is fueling the scientifically unfounded fears. In recent weeks, two Hong Kong-based airlines alone have [cut down on flights](https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2025/06/19/japan-manga-tourists-ryo-tatsuki/) to southern Japan due to lower passenger interest. “We are surprised that such rumors have led to cancellations,” the Tokushima Tourism promotion division said. The Japanese government has warned about earthquake speculation. In [April](https://x.com/CAO%5FBOUSAI/status/1915348746243899464), it released a statement that, “predicting earthquakes by specifying the date, time, and location is difficult with current scientific knowledge.” Last month, Japan Meteorological Agency director-general Ryoichi Nomura [said](https://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/15842842) in a news conference that it was “regrettable that people are being affected by baseless information in this age of modern science.” Japan has long been a hotbed of seismic activity due to its position in the Pacific Ring of Fire. In August, JMA [issued an advisory](https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20240809-japan-s-megaquake-warning-explained) that “the likelihood of a new major earthquake is higher than normal” in relation to the Nankai Trough, a 560 mi. oceanic trench to Japan’s south. Earthquakes arising from the Nankai Trough are as the geologists Kyle Bradley and Judith A. Hubbard put it, “the original definition of the ‘Big One.’” Earlier this year, a government panel [issued a report](https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/01/16/japan/science-health/nankai-quake-probability/) stating that a megaquake along the Nankai Trough has an 80% chance of happening in the next 30 years. Under the [worst-case scenario](https://www.reuters.com/business/environment/japan-estimates-feared-megaquake-could-cause-18-trln-damage-kill-300000-people-2025-03-31/), as many as 298,000 people could die, the report added. Japan experiences about 1,500 earthquakes a year, [almost a fifth](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/jul/03/japan-earthquake-tokara-islands-900-earthquakes-two-weeks) of the global total. The country has spent decades putting [earthquake preparedness plans](https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/article/japan-earthquakes-resilient-architecture-disaster-preparedness) in place. Given the history and frequency of earthquakes in Japan, concern is understandable. But JMA’s Nomura has “strongly” urged the “public not to take irrational actions driven by anxiety.” JMA remains a reliable source of information about earthquakes in Japan, as are the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), the British Geological Survey (BGS), and the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) in their respective regions. _—Callum Sutherland contributed reporting from London._ ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/7300133/japan-manga-earthquake-panic/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/7300133/japan-manga-earthquake-panic/"},"headline":"A Manga Is Causing Earthquake Panic in Japan","datePublished":"2025-07-04T16:37:15.000Z","dateModified":"2026-03-11T01:10:54.646Z","description":"Earthquakes can’t be predicted. But a manga artist’s dream of a July 5 'megaquake' has spooked some residents and travelers.","url":"https://time.com/7300133/japan-manga-earthquake-panic/","keywords":["Natural Disasters","News Desk"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltbfcb6b5061d9b481/6998c7fc1500fbf1a1aa6666/AP25184289845639.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Chad de Guzman","jobTitle":"Reporter","url":"https://time.com/author/chad-de-guzman/"}],"articleSection":"Science","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltbfcb6b5061d9b481/6998c7fc1500fbf1a1aa6666/AP25184289845639.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Magnitude 5.5 earthquake strikes off coast of Tokara Islands","caption":"Magnitude 5.5 earthquake strikes off coast of Tokara Islands","creditText":"Yomiuri Shimbun/AP","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/science/","name":"Science"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/natural-disasters/","name":"Natural Disasters"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/7300133/japan-manga-earthquake-panic/","name":"A Manga Is Causing Earthquake Panic in Japan"}}]}] ```