A much-feared apocalyptic earthquake prediction by Japanese manga artist Ryo Tatsuki passed without incident early Saturday morning, as over 250,000 people worldwide simultaneously watched live earthquake feeds that showed Japan remaining seismically quiet at the prophesied 4.18am moment (3.18 am HKT).
The collective sigh of relief came after months of mounting anxiety over Ryo's prediction in her book "The Future I Saw," which claimed a catastrophic earthquake would strike Japan on July 5, 2025.
Her vision included a seabed explosion in waters between Japan, Taiwan and the Philippines that would trigger 100-meter tsunamis and submerge one-third of Japan's landmass.
As the fateful minute arrived, a staggering quarter-million viewers crowded the YouTube channel "The Real-time Earthquake Alert Channel for Japan (Tokyo) since 2012," which continuously streams nationwide seismic data.
The tension broke into waves of relief in live chat as users posted messages like "Nothing happened" and "All clear," with many directly referencing Ryo's failed prophecy.
Ryo had based her prediction on a vivid dream she experienced in 1999, interpreting her 4.18am awakening time as the potential disaster timing.
While her book gained cult following over the years, Japanese meteorological authorities had repeatedly dismissed the forecast as baseless.
(Marco Lam)
