According to information, since April 2024, the manga artist of the story of the Medicine Master , Erika Ikeda, has been investigated for tax evasion. As of today, July 24, 2024, there has been an official court ruling on this issue. Details of the case will be presented in the article below.
Fukuoka Court finds Duoc Su Tu Su artist's actions intentional
The Fukuoka Regional Taxation Bureau announced in April that it had filed a complaint with the Fukuoka District Public Prosecutors' Office against manga artist Erika Ikeda (known by her pen name Nekokurage in the manga world) - who illustrated the manga series “Kusuriya no Hitorigoto” (The Apothecary Diaries) - on suspicion of violating the Income Tax Act.
Manga artist Erika Ikeda has been charged with tax evasion of up to 47 million yen by not reporting the income she earned from drawing the popular manga series “The Apothecary Diaries.” The manga is based on the original work of the same name and began serialization in Monthly Big Gangan magazine in May 2017.
Judge Takeda pointed out that although the manga series Pharmacopoeia quickly became popular and she began to earn a large income from the work, she still chose to “prioritize her immediate work and private life as well as evade taxes.” According to the ruling, defendant Ikeda earned a total income of about 260 million yen from manuscript fees and royalties from publishers in the three years from 2019 to 2021, but she did not file a tax return.
Judge Yuko Takeda sentenced her to 10 months in prison, three years of probation and a fine of 11 million yen (the prosecutors had recommended 10 months in prison and a fine of 14 million yen), saying he had “evaded a large sum of money over many years and was very vicious.”
Erika's words during the investigation
Nekokurage posted a few words about his troubles on X:
About tax declaration
I am so sorry this happened.
I forgot to file my tax return before because I didn't know anything about taxes. In 2022, I received instructions from the tax office to file the main tax, additional tax, and unreported tax, so I filed the full amount immediately and am currently working with a tax accountant to file and pay the taxes properly.
I will accept all consequences of my ignorance and lack of education. Furthermore, I apologize for all the inconveniences I have caused and for all those who have supported us. I also deeply regret not being honest with all those who are doing their tax duty. This will never happen again.
Please note that this matter is Nekokurage's personal matter and has nothing to do with the original author of the work I am responsible for illustrating, or any other sensei involved in illustrating the same work.
Erika Ikeda's artwork for The Apothecary Diaries is loved by many people, and it cannot be denied that the illustrations are also an important factor in helping The Apothecary Diaries gain its current popularity, but because of this scandal, the series may have to consider changing its artist. Please follow Hobiverse to continue to update the next information about the incident!
