India, June 17 -- An eerie prediction made in a manga comic has triggered widespread concern in Japan and beyond. With just weeks left until the date, nervous travelers are scrapping plans, and social media is abuzz with fear. In a 2021 edition of her best-selling comic The Future I Saw, Japanese manga artist Ryo Tatsuki, aka "New Baba Vanga," predicted a disaster would occur in Japan on 5 July 2025, according to the Daily Mail. While the manga does not mention what kind of disaster it might be, the vague warning has been enough to rattle nerves.

The economic ripple effects are already being felt. A Bloomberg Intelligence report reveals a dramatic slump in travel bookings around early July:

Tourists are either postponing their visits or...