A magnitude‑7.5 earthquake struck off the northeastern coast of Japan late on 8 December 2025, triggering tsunami warnings along the Pacific coast in Aomori, Iwate and Hokkaido prefectures. Waves of up to 70 cm were recorded at some ports before the advisory was lifted early the following morning. No major damage or casualties have been reported.
The tremor quickly prompted a wave of social media activity, as users began circulating an old claim that a Japanese manga had predicted a 'mega-tsunami' striking Japan in 2025. The story, often attributed to the late-20th-century artist Ryo Tatsuki, resurfaced across platforms such as X and Reddit, with posts allegedly showing a coastline being wiped out by a giant wave alongside a date marking 2025. Hashtags including #2025Tsunami and #JapaneseBabaVanga trended online, with some users sharing makeshift 'survival guides' or advising others to move inland.
