Manga author sentenced to 10 months in prison, fined 11 million yen in July
Kodoani.com – Manga author Nekokurage posted a statement on his official X account (formerly Twitter) on Monday, after being given a suspended sentence for tax evasion on July 24. Nekokurage offered a sincere apology for the trouble the incident has caused and expressed deep remorse. The author also said that he is currently working with a trusted tax accountant to ensure that similar incidents do not occur in the future.
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— Neko Kurage ✽ Pharmacy ⑬ Release (@nekokurage_) September 9, 2024
Nekokurage confirms they will continue to create the manga The Apothecary Diaries as a way of making amends, and at the same time expressing gratitude to the readers who have continued to support their work despite the difficulties. The author also sent thanks to those involved who decided to allow them to continue their work.
On July 24, the Fukuoka District Court sentenced Nekokurage (real name Erika Ikeda) to 10 months in prison and a fine of 11 million yen (about $77,146). However, the sentence was suspended for three years, meaning that if Nekokurage maintains good behavior during that time, they will not actually serve any prison time. The prosecution had previously requested a 10-month prison sentence and a fine of 14 million yen (about $98,186).
Square Enix, the publisher of the manga The Apothecary Diariesannounced that they were “not considering canceling” the manga after the ruling was made.
Previously, the Fukuoka Regional Taxation Bureau indicted Nekokurage on February 29 on suspicion of failing to report 260 million yen (about 1.8 million USD) in income and evading 47 million yen (about 329,627 USD) in taxes from 2019 to 2021. According to the investigation, the money included income from manga sales and was used to purchase real estate.
Nekokurage admitted to tax evasion in their first court hearing on May 31. There, the author stated that they had no intention of evading taxes but were “planning to pay it all in one go.” On April 1, Nekokurage also posted on their X account, explaining that the neglect to file their taxes was due to ignorance and that they had fulfilled their tax obligations in 2022 after receiving instructions from the tax authorities. The author also clarified that the incident had nothing to do with the original author of the novel series. The Apothecary Diaries or anyone else involved in the manga creation process.
Nekokurage has launched manga The Apothecary Diaries in Square Enix's Monthly Big Gangan magazine in May 2017. The manga's 14th volume will be released on September 25. The series is also published in English by Square Enix Manga & Books.
The original light novel series by The Apothecary Diarieswritten by Natsu Hyūga and illustrated by Touko Shino, began serialization on the Shōsetsuka ni Narō website in October 2011. Shufunotomo published the print version of the novel in August 2014, and J-Novel Club released a digital version in English.
Additionally, the light novel series has also been adapted into an anime, which premiered in October 2023 and aired for two seasons. Crunchyroll is currently streaming the anime, including the English dubbed version. The second season of the anime is expected to premiere in 2025.
