The Apothecary Diaries mangaka accused of and indicted for tax evasion

Modified Apr 02, 2024 22:14 GMT

The Apothecary Diaries mangaka accused of, indicted for tax evasion (Image via TOHO, OLM) — The Apothecary Diaries mangaka accused of and indicted for tax evasion (Image via TOHO, OLM)

Monday, April 1, 2024, saw The Fukuoka Regional Taxation Bureau of Japan reveal their formal indictment of The Apothecary Diaries mangaka Nekokurage (real name Erika Ikeda) on suspicion of tax evasion. More specifically, Nekokurage stands accused of not declaring roughly 260 million yen (roughly $1.7 million) in income, and evading about 47 million yen (roughly $310,000) in taxes from 2019-2021.

The Apothecary Diaries mangaka was formally indicted on February 29 on suspicion of the above crimes, but this news was not made public until Monday, April 1, 2024, based on all available sources. As per the National Tax Bureau of Japan, the tax-evaded money (including income from manga sales) was used for purchasing real estate.

Nekokurage serves as the creator of The Apothecary Diaries manga, which is itself an adaptation of author Natsu Hyuga and illustrator Touko Shino’s original light novel series of the same name. The story first began as a web novel by Hyuga published on the Shosetsuka ni Naro website, with this format still ongoing on the platform today.

The Apothecary Diaries mangaka admits guilt, claims “ignorance” in the neglect of their tax returns

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Following the news of the allegations being made public, The Apothecary Diaries mangaka Nekokurage responded to them on X. Here, Nekokurage claimed they neglected their tax returns due to ignorance, adding that they settled the taxes and fees in 2022 after receiving such instructions from the tax office regarding undeclared income. They’ve also since used a tax accountant for assistance in filing proper tax returns.

Nekokurage also clarified that this is a personal matter which has nothing to do with the original light novel series’ author and illustrator, or anyone else involved with the manga adaptation’s creation. No further comments have been made by Nekokurage and their team as of the time of this article’s writing, and it’s unclear if any more will come.

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The Apothecary Diaries mangaka first launched their adaptation in Square Enix’s Monthly Big Gangan magazine in May 2017. The manga’s 13th compiled book volume was published by Square Enix on March 25 of this year. The series is published in English, with 11 of the 13 currently released volumes having been translated and released in English.

The light novel series inspired a television anime adaptation, which premiered on October 21, 2023, with its first three episodes airing simultaneously. The anime then aired for two continuous cours, with Crunchyroll streaming the series internationally as it aired in Japan. Crunchyroll also produced an English dub for the series. The anime is set to receive a second season in 2025, but no additional significant information on the second season has been revealed thus far.