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The Apothecary Diaries Manga Artist Nekokurage Pleads Guilty to Tax Evasion
posted on by Joanna Cayanan
During the hearing, Nekokurage admitted to the charges and stated they had "no intention of evading the tax payments," and they were "planning to pay it all at once later."
In the prosecution's opening statement, they stated the defendant (Nekokurage) began working as a manga artist in 2010, and an acquaintance informed them that they needed to file a tax return on their income, indicating Nekokurage was aware of the need to do so. The prosecution claimed Nekokurage subsequently consulted a tax accountant, but felt that filing the tax return was troublesome, and instead prioritized the manuscript with its nearing deadline.
During the hearing, it was also pointed out that Nekokurage had repeatedly filed tax returns for several years without meeting the deadline. A statement from Nekokurage's editor telling them to "make sure to file a tax return, or the [manga] series will be canceled if you cause trouble," and from the original creator of The Apothecary Diaries light novels Natsu Hyūga advising Nekokurage "to consult with a tax accountant," were read out.
Nekokurage was indicted by The Fukuoka Regional Taxation Bureau on February 29 on suspicion of not declaring approximately 260 million yen (about US$1.6 million) in income and evading about 47 million yen (about US$298,887) in taxes from 2019-2021. According to the National Tax Bureau, the tax-evaded money, which includes income earned from manga sales, was used to purchase real estate.
Nekokurage responded to the allegations in a post on X (formerly Twitter) on April 1, claiming that they neglected their tax returns due to ignorance. They added that they paid the taxes and fees in full in 2022 as a result of not declaring the income after receiving instructions from the tax office. They have also asked a tax accountant for assistance in filing proper tax returns. Nekokurage clarified that the case is a personal matter that has nothing to do with The Apothecary Diaries' original light novel series author or anyone else involved in the manga's creation.
Nekokurage launched the manga in Square Enix's Monthly Big Gangan magazine in May 2017. Square Enix published the manga's 13th compiled book volume on March 25. Square Enix Manga publishes the series in English.
Natsu Hyūga began serializing the original story on the "Shōsetsuka ni Narō" (Let's Become Novelists) website in October 2011. Shufunotomo began publishing the novels in print volume with illustrations by Touko Shino in August 2014. J-Novel Club publishes the novel series digitally.
The light novel series inspired an anime that premiered on October 21 with the first three episodes, and aired for two cours (quarters of a year). Crunchyroll streamed the anime as it aired in Japan and is also streaming an English dub. The anime is getting a second season in 2025.
Sources: NHK Fukuoka News Web (video report), Mainichi Shimbun (志村一也) via Hachima Kikō
