Japan hit by 5.3 magnitude earthquake, weather agency denies links to manga prediction

Japan’s remote Tokara Islands has been rattle by several (hundreds) earthquakes in the last few days, instilling fear among people of a major catastrophe. Now a quake with a magnitude of 5.3 shook islands in southwestern Japan on Saturday (July 5).

According to the Japan Meteorological Agency, the quake struck off the Tokara island chain at 6:29 a.m. at a depth of about 20 kilometers, reported the local media. No tsunami warning was issued.

This comes amid predictions made by a manga artist Ryo Tatsuki, a self-proclaimed clairvoyant who had foretold a 2011 disaster and speculated a major calamity striking Japan in early July.

In her comic book The Future I Saw, Tatsuki claims that Japan will witness a massive disaster on July 5, 2025. The book, originally published in 1999 says that cities will sink into the sea and a mega-tsunami, stronger than the one in the 2011 Tohoku earthquake will hit the country.

Japan weather agency denies links to manga prediction

And though, a quake measuring 5.3 on the Richter scale did hit the islands on Saturday (July 5), the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) said that the tremor was not connected to viral manga prediction, reported the local media.

Seismologists, too have dismissed any link between the recent activity and the prediction, highlighting that there is no scientific way to predict an earthquake and its magnitude.

Tokara Islands lies between the southern tip of Kyushu and the Okinawa islands, in a seismically active stretch of southwestern Japan, small frequent earthquakes are nothing new for the region.

Since June 21, the Tokara island chain area has seen over 1,000 earthquakes. A temblor with a magnitude of 5.5, had jolted the area on Thursday too.

Since the 2011 prediction came true, Tatsuki has gained immense popularity. His comic book The Future I Saw, has sold over 900,000 copies including printed editions in Chinese, according to the book’s publisher.