A strong earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.1 struck off the southeastern coast of the Nemuro Peninsula in Japan on Thursday, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA).

The JMA reported that the epicentre was located at a latitude of 42.8N and a longitude of 146.4E. There were no immediate reports of injuries or significant damage, and no tsunami warning was issued.

Meanwhile, the United States Geological Survey (USGS) recorded the quake as a magnitude 5.9 event, occurring at 23:08 UTC on June 18, approximately 107 kilometres southeast of Nemuro, at a depth of 14.9 kilometres.

HONG KONG AIRLINE CUTS FLIGHTS TO JAPAN AMID VIRAL RUMOUR

Earlier, Hong Kong Airlines scaled back its flights to southern Japan following a decline in passenger demand linked to an online rumor predicting a massive earthquake.

The rumour, which has gained traction on social media, claims that a devastating earthquake will strike Japan in July 2025—a prediction said to originate from a manga comic titled The Future I Saw: Complete Edition (2022) by Japanese artist Ryo Tatsuki.

As a result of reduced interest in travel to the region, the airline reportedly plans to suspend flights to popular destinations Kagoshima and Kumamoto during July and August.

The manga, which has gone viral, includes a line suggesting, “The real catastrophe will come in July 2025.”

According to Japan Forward, Tatsuki previously drew attention for allegedly foreseeing the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake in an earlier work published in 1996, though such claims remain speculative.

In response to the growing panic, the Japan National Tourism Organisation (JNTO) has clarified that there is no scientific evidence supporting the rumor and urged travellers not to be misled by unfounded predictions.