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Nekokurage Plans to Continue Drawing The Apothecary Diaries Manga After Tax Evasion Sentence

Manga creator Nekokurage posted a statement on their official X (formerly Twitter) account on Monday, after they were handed down a suspended sentence for tax evasion on July 24. Nekokurage apologized for the inconvenience the tax evasion case has caused, and stated that they are sincerely reflecting on the incident after receiving the verdict. Nekokurage reported that they are currently receiving support from a trusted tax accountant, and vowed that nothing like this will happen again in the future.

Nekokurage stated that they plan to continue working on the The Apothecary Diaries manga, as a way of atonement and showing gratitude to the readers who still want to read their work despite the circumstances, and to the people involved who still decided to allow them to continue working on the manga.

The Fukuoka District Court handed Nekokurage (real name Erika Ikeda) a suspended sentence of 10 months in prison and a fine of 11 million yen (about US$77,146 in current conversion) for the crime of tax evasion on July 24. However, since the prison sentence is suspended for three years, if Nekokurage remains on good behavior for three years, they will not serve time in prison. The prosecution had sought a sentence of 10 months in prison with a 14 million yen (about US$98,186 in current conversion) fine.

Square Enix informed the IT Media News site that it is "not particularly considering canceling" Nekokurage's The Apothecary Diaries manga after the verdict was handed down.

The Fukuoka Regional Taxation Bureau indicted Nekokurage on February 29 on suspicion of not declaring about 260 million yen (about US$1.8 million in current conversion) in income and evading about 47 million yen (about US$329,627 in current conversion) in taxes from 2019 to 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 pleaded guilty to tax evasion charges in the case's first hearing on May 31. During the hearing, Nekokurage stated that they had "no intention of evading the tax payments," and they were "planning to pay it all at once later." 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 original author of The Apothecary Diaries' light novel series or anyone else involved in the manga's creation.

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 in October 2023, 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: Nekokurage's X/Twitter account, Sponichi Annex via Yaraon!