The mangaka of the Apothecary's Notebooks sentenced to 10 months in prison with a suspended sentence

The illustrator of the manga Nekokurage, whose real name is Erika Ikeda, was found guilty of tax evasion by the Fukuoka District Court on July 24, 2024.

Between 2019 and 2021, Nekokurage did not declare its estimated income of €1.5 million (260 million yen) and invested in real estate. She was sentenced to a 10-month suspended prison sentence and 3-year probation for tax evasion and a fine of €66,030 (11 million yen) by the Fukuoka District Court.

The Japanese tax authorities had estimated in April 2024 the amount of his taxes at €282,129 (47 million yen). Nekokurage revealed on her X account (ex-twitter) that she had already paid the full taxes that had been requested of her in April 2024 when she was indicted.

Publisher Square Enix, which publishes the manga The Apothecary's Diaries, has confirmed that the work will continue to be published and that there will be no suspension.

The manga The Apothecary Diaries, Kusuriya no Hitorigoto by HYUUGA Natsu (author), NANAO Ikki (script) & Nekokurage (art) debuted in 2017 at Square Enix and currently has 13 volumes in Japan. Volume 14 is scheduled for September 25, 2024 in Japan.

Information about the anime The Apothecary's Notebooks

The anime series The Apothecary's Diaries Season 1 (24 episodes) was released in October 2023 and was a huge success in Japan. The anime The Apothecary's Notebooks Season 2 is scheduled for release in 2025.