Japan megaquake rumours spook Hong Kongers

Unfounded online rumours warning that a huge earthquake will soon strike Japan are taking a toll on travel firms and airlines who report less demand from worried Hong Kongers.

- CARINA CHENG NATSUKO FUKUE

People from Hong Kong made nearly 2.7 million trips to Japan in 2024.

Although it is impossible to know exactly when earthquakes will hit, fear-inducing predictions have spread widely among the city’s residents.

Some of the false posts cite a Japanese manga comic, republished in 2021, which predicts a major natural disaster in July 2025, based on the author's dream.

Other posts give different dates, while a Facebook group that claims to predict disasters in Japan has over a quarter of a million members, mainly in Hong Kong and Taiwan.

“The earthquake prophecy has absolutely caused a big change to our customers’ preferences,” said Frankie Chow, head of Hong Kong travel agency CLS Holiday.

Chow told AFP that in March and April his company received 70%-80% fewer inquiries about travelling to Japan than last year.

“I’ve never experienced this before,” said Mr Chow, who also runs the booking website Flyagain.la.

While some people changed their destination, others “did not dare to travel’, he said.