Overview

• Hong Kong Airlines has canceled all flights to Kagoshima and Kumamoto for July and August after bookings plunged over fears of the predicted July 5 event.
• The Japanese Cabinet Office’s Disaster Prevention Division and the Japan Meteorological Agency have publicly cautioned that specifying a date, time or location for an earthquake is scientifically impossible.
• Prefectural governors have described the unverified rumors as a serious issue harming tourism and urged visitors to rely on official disaster-preparedness measures.
• Nomura Research Institute economist Takahide Kiuchi warns that continued tourism declines tied to doomsday forecasts could inflict up to ¥560 billion in economic losses.
• May data from the Japan National Tourism Organization show that overall inbound tourism remains strong despite localized drops in southern prefectures.