The Apothecary Diaries Manga Artist Pleads Guilty to Tax Evasion

Nekokurage, who is the illustrator for the manga version of The Apothecary Diaries, pleaded guilty for tax evasion worth 47 million JPY ($298,754). It is unknown what will happen to the manga as a result of this. [Thanks, Live Door!]

The article in question refers to Nekokurage with her real name, Erika Ikeda. She pleaded guilty to the charges and stated that she’d planned on declaring several years’ worth of taxes at once. According to the prosecution, she started her work as a manga artist in 2010. That was also when her acquaintance told her that she needed to file her own tax returns. Though Ikeda knew that this was a legal obligation, she instead chose to prioritize her deadlines.

In the past, Ikeda did, in fact, declare multiple years’ worth of taxes at once. Her acquaintance was not the only person getting on her case about her taxes. Ikeda’s editor also urged her to declare her taxes. This is because if a problem arises as a result of this, they may risk the manga’s cancellation. The author for The Apothecary Diaries (Natsu Hyuga) also told Ikeda (Nekokurage) that she should speak to an accountant. Though Ikeda made about 260 million JPY (about $1.7 million) between 2019 and 2022, she didn’t declare her income in time and thus evaded 47 million JPY’s worth of taxes.

Ikeda posted an apology on her Twitter (X) account. She accepts full responsibility for her past ignorance, as well as stated that she’s now paid off all the taxes and fees she owes. At the end, she says that this is all her personal problem. It has nothing to do with the people working on the manga version of The Apothecary Diaries or Natsu Hyuga.

As the case is still ongoing, there’s no information on what will happen to the The Apothecary Diaries manga, nor is there information on what Ikeda’s punishment will be.