Nekokurage, the creator of the manga adaptation of the popular Japanese light novel series The Apothecary Diaries was formally indicted for tax evasion. Nekokurage’s real name is Erika Ikeda and she was indicted by the Fukuoka Regional Taxation Bureau on 29th February of this year.
The formal indictment against Ikeda was released recently
On 1st April, 2024, Monday, the Fukuoka Regional Taxation Bureau released their formal indictment statement against mangaka Nekokurage, whose real name is Erika Ikeda. Ikeda was indicted because she allegedly did not declare about 260 million Yen (about $1.7 million) in income, and evaded roughly 47 million Yen (about $310,000) in taxes between 2019 and 2021.
The Bureau announced that Ikeda received about 260 million Yen as manuscript and royalty fees from 2019 through 2021 and failed to declare that income, thus evading about 47 million Yen in tax. According to them, the mangaka used that money to purchase other things such as real estate. The charges were brought against her on 29th February but were not made public until 1st April.
Nekokurage also addressed the allegations
Nekokurage took to X (formerly Twitter) to respond to the allegations and said that the reason behind neglecting the tax returns was neglect on her part. She also cleared up that after receiving instructions from the tax office, she cleared up the tax and fees back in 2022. She also assured that she has hired a tax accountant to help her file and return taxes on time. Moreover, she added that this was a completely personal matter which has nothing to do with the original writer of The Apothecary Diaries light novel series or anyone else connected to the project.
The Apothecary Diaries light novel series was first adapted into a manga series back in 2017 and started releasing in Square Enix's Monthly Big Gangan magazine in May of that year. The original light novel series was written by Natsu Hyuga and illustrated by Touko Shino. An anime adaptation of the popular series by OLM and Toho Animation Studios aired from October of 2023 to March of 2024.
