The Apothecary Diaries' mangaka, Erika Ikeda (36), who is better known as Nekokurage, was found guilty of tax evasion by the Fukuoka District Court last Friday (31/05). Reporting from Mainichi Shinbun, the lawsuit states that Nekokurage did not report her income of 260 million JPY with a total tax payable of 47 million JPY.

Nekokurage then admitted that she had been negligent in dealing with taxes. As reported by NHK, Nekokurage was too focused on the manga series she was making so she didn't have time to meet with a tax consultant. 

Nekokurage then received many comments, including from the editor, "If you (Nekokurage) cause a problem, the series will be cancelled." 

The author of The Apothecary Diaries, Natsu Hyuga, also commented, "Make sure you (Nekokurage) file a tax return and consult with a tax accountant."

Nekokurage finally tweeted an apology on the X platform, in which she admitted her mistake for consciously ignoring tax payments despite being reminded by her editor and author. She has also paid her taxes in full along with late fines.