Japanese Baba Vanga's chilling prediction that halted tourism is meant to happen today

A mystic known as Japan's answer to Baba Vanga believes the world will be struck by a catastrophic disaster at some point today.

Famous for her work as a manga artist, Ryo Tatsuki has also made a name for herself amongst the world's clairvoyants, with the 70-year-old claiming to have predicted events such as the Covid-19 pandemic, the death of Queen frontman Freddie Mercury, and the 2011 tsunami and earthquake which shook the region of Tohoku in Japan.

Tatsuki received her nickname as she is widely considered to be the latest iteration of the late Bulgarian mystic, who passed away in 1996, similar to how Brazil's Athos Salome has taken on the moniker of the 'Living Nostradamus'.

For Tatsuki, her most worrisome prediction came in 1999 comic The Future I Saw, which predicts that a major catastrophe will strike today.

Ryo Tatsuki's The Future I Saw (Ryo Tatsuki)

What did Ryo Tatsuki predict?

In a 2021 reprint of the manga, Tatsuki included a passage which suggested that Japan would be struck by some kind of cataclysmic event this Saturday (5 July).

"The Ocean floor between Japan and the Philippines will crack," the passage reads.

"Huge waves will rise in all directions. Tsunamis will devastate the Pacific Rim countries. A tsunami three times higher than that of the Great East Japan Earthquake of March 2011 will strike the southwest of the country."

The latest rumour swiftly gained traction after the re-print was released, with many people pointing to the fact that Tatsuki had 'accurately' predicted the events of 2011 as a warning of impending doom.

In-fact, concern about a major geological event devastating the region has even led to a decrease in Japanese tourism, as superstitious travellers opt to stay at home instead of risk being caught up in a major disaster.

The warning suggests a major earthquake and even tsunami (Getty Stock Images)

According to Bloomberg Intelligence, bookings for travellers from Hong Kong alone have dropped by 83 percent for late June and early July.

The hysteria has even led to officials in the southwest of Japan to issue statements reassuring visitors that holidaying in the region is perfectly safe, with Yoshihiro Murai, the governor of Miyagi prefecture, telling journalists at a press conference in May: "It would be a major problem if the spread of unscientific rumours on social media affected tourism. There is no reason to worry because the Japanese are not fleeing abroad.

"I hope people will ignore the rumours and visit."

Numerous environmental experts have also weighed in on the rumour, with Professor Sekiya Naoya at the University of Tokyo told NHK urged people to remember that there was no scientific basis behind the claims.

The concerns have lead to a decease in tourism to Japan in June and July (Getty Stock Images)

The claims have also coincided with reports of over 900 earthquakes hitting Japan's Tokara islands in the southwestern Ryukyu Archipelago, however there have been no reports of damage.

Tatsuki herself has even distanced her name from the prophecies, with Japanese outlet The Sankei Shimbun (via Metro) reporting that she said the following when asked about the 5 July claim: "I was unhappy that it was published primarily based on the publisher’s wishes.

"I vaguely remember mentioning it, but it appears to have been hurriedly written during a rush of work."

Either way, in the next 24 hours we'll know if Tatsuki's prediction can be placed in the same pile as Y2K or the 2012 theories.