Amid widespread rumors about the July earthquake in Japan, an airline in Hong Kong will suspend regular flights between Hong Kong and two small Japanese cities for the time being from September 1. Citing Kyodo News, Yonhap News reported on the 2nd that Hong Kong’s Greater Bay Airlines has decided to suspend the operation of its route linking Hong Kong to Yonago in Tottori Prefecture and Tokushima in Tokushima Prefecture. The airline explained that the spread of the Japanese earthquake in Hong Kong has led to a sharp drop in passengers and worsened performance, making it difficult to maintain the route. Earlier, Greater Bay Airlines had already canceled some flights linking Hong Kong, Tokushima and Sendai. This is because rumors are spreading in Hong Kong that a major earthquake will occur in July this year in Japan based on the “complete version of the future I saw” by Japanese cartoonist Ryo Tatsuki. Greater Bay Airlines reportedly saw a 30% drop in reservations due to the spread of anxiety caused by prophecies. In response, the airline is reportedly considering reducing the number of flights for some other parts of Japan.
In Japan, experts drew a line that there was no scientific basis amid the spread of the prediction of a ‘July earthquake’. “There are no geological conditions or volcanic activity in the sea between Japan and the Philippines,” said Toshiyasu Nagao, a visiting professor at Tokai University and Shizuoka Prefectural University, an expert on earthquake prediction. “There have been no major earthquakes in the past.” He also dismissed the claim that “the tsunami leads Hong Kong, Taiwan, and the Philippines to land.” They say that tsunamis are caused by rising and sinking of the sea floor, so they do not raise the land. He added that even if a giant South Sea trough earthquake occurs, it is highly unlikely to cause a tsunami larger than that of the Great East Japan Earthquake.
The number of Hong Kong people who visited Japan in May decreased by 11.2% compared to the same month last year due to the influence of the ground earthquake. Among major countries and regions, Hong Kong is the only country with a decrease in the number of Japanese visitors in May. In Japan, a series of small earthquakes have recently occurred on the Tokara Islands in Kagoshima Prefecture, Kyushu, and reports related to the ground earthquake have increased significantly. However, most Japanese media quoted the Korea Meteorological Administration and experts’ opinions that the ground earthquake has no scientific basis and earthquakes cannot be predicted with modern scientific knowledge.
EJ SONG
US ASIA JOURNAL
