Hikaru Kondo, the founder and president of Demon Slayer animation studio Ufotable, has admitted to charges of tax evasion and has issued a public apology.
The Tokyo Public Prosecutor's Office issued a formal indictment against Kondo and Ufotable in July. At the time, both Kondo and the animation company issued a statement denying the allegations and said that they believed they had paid the proper amount of taxes. According to the NHK (via Anime News Network) in his apology, Kondo explained that he hid parts of the company's income in order to protect the studio from any potential downturn in income, and he stated he hopes his crime "would not bring trouble to Ufotable." Kondo was personally charged with evading over 138 million yen - roughly $1.2 million USD - while the company was said to owe over $4 million USD in unpaid taxes. Kondo reportedly hid the money in a private safe in his home. Ufotable says it has now filed a corrected tax statement and has paid the appropriate amount in taxes.
It is unknown at this time if Ufotable or Kondo will face further repercussions. Part of the original allegations against Kondo and the studio included the accusation that they had misappropriated funds collected during a charity event intended to raise money to help victims of the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami. Misappropriating charity money is a crime that carries a potential prison sentence of up to 10 years in Japan, though its unknown at this time if Japanese authorities are still pursuing this charge.
Prior to these allegations, Ufotable was considered one of Japan's rising animation studios. The studio was founded in 2000, and originally made a name for itself by working with video game publisher Bandai Namco to provide animated cutscenes for its games, including Tales of Symphonia and God Eater. The studio gained further recognition with its adaptation of Fate/Zero, and its fortunes further improved with the runaway success of the Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba anime series and its record-breaking movie, Mugen Train. American distributor Funimation recently announced plans to release Mugen Train in a special limited edition Blu-ray package.
Ufotable is currently working on the second season of the Demon Slayer anime, which will adapt the fan-favorite Entertainment District arc from Koyoharu Gotouge's original manga. While a release date for the new season has yet to be announced, it is expected to arrive before the end of 2021. The company is also working on Girls' Work, a new series that will see the studio collaborate once again with Fate/Stay Night creators TYPE-MOON.
Source: NHK, via Anime News Network
