Passenger Numbers Plummet in Hong Kong Amid Prophecy Rumors,
Airline Performance Declines
Series of Small Earthquakes Occur in Tokara Islands
As rumors regarding a major earthquake in July continue to spread in Japan, a Hong Kong airline has announced the temporary suspension of its regular routes connecting Hong Kong to two small Japanese cities, effective from September 1. On July 2, Yonhap News, citing Kyodo News, reported that Greater Bay Airlines of Hong Kong has decided to suspend its routes linking Hong Kong with Yonago in Tottori Prefecture and Tokushima in Tokushima Prefecture. The airline explained that rumors of a major earthquake in Japan have been spreading in Hong Kong, leading to a sharp decline in passengers and deteriorating business performance, making it difficult to maintain these routes.
The appearance of a small Japanese town damaged by a landslide following the earthquake around December last year. Photo by AFP and Yonhap News
Previously, Greater Bay Airlines had already reduced the frequency of some flights connecting Hong Kong with Tokushima and Sendai. This is because, in Hong Kong, rumors have been spreading that a major earthquake will occur in Japan in July this year, based on works such as Japanese manga artist Tatsuki Ryo's "The Future I Saw: Complete Edition." As a result of anxiety fueled by these predictions, Greater Bay Airlines reported a 30% drop in reservations. The airline is also reportedly considering reducing flights to some other regions in Japan.
Within Japan, as the so-called "July Great Earthquake" prophecy spreads, experts have drawn a clear line, stating there is no scientific basis for such claims. Toshiya Nagao, a visiting professor at Tokai University and Shizuoka Prefectural University who specializes in earthquake prediction, stated, "There are neither geological conditions nor volcanic activity between Japan and the Philippines that would cause an earthquake," and added, "There have also been no major earthquakes in the past." Regarding the claim that "Hong Kong, Taiwan, and the Philippines will become connected by land due to a tsunami," he dismissed it, saying, "There is absolutely no scientific basis for this." He explained that tsunamis are caused by uplift or subsidence of the seafloor and do not cause land to rise. He also added that even if a massive Nankai Trough earthquake were to occur, the likelihood of it generating a tsunami larger than that of the Great East Japan Earthquake is extremely low.
Due to the impact of the major earthquake rumors, the number of Hong Kong visitors to Japan in May decreased by 11.2% compared to the same month last year. Among major countries and regions, Hong Kong was the only one to see a decline in visitors to Japan in May. In Japan, as a series of small earthquakes have recently occurred in the Tokara Islands of Kagoshima Prefecture in Kyushu, media reports related to the major earthquake rumors have increased significantly. However, most Japanese media have cited the Meteorological Agency and expert opinions, reporting that the major earthquake rumors have no scientific basis and that earthquakes cannot be predicted with current scientific knowledge.
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