Ufotable Founder Indicted On Tax Evasion

While Ufotable has been riding high on the insane success of Demon Slayer's first film, Mugen Train, which has pulled in hundreds of millions of dollars of profit around the world, it seems that the founder of the animation studio has fallen into some hot water, being indicted for tax evasion. In an official announcement released by the animation studio, Hikaru Kondo has been indicted by the Japanese government for allegedly failing to pay over one million dollars in taxes which violates the "Corporation Tax Act," and "Consumption Tax Act" respectively.

Ufotable shared the news via its Official Twitter Account, apologizing for their founder's alleged actions while also promising that they will file a new tax return and pay the amount that is required of the Japanese government:

今般、弊社及び弊社代表が、法人税法等違反の疑いで起訴されました。ファンの皆様、関係者に心よりお詫び申し上げます。
国税当局の指導に従って修正申告を行い、全額納付いたしました。より良い制作環境の整備に向け、法令遵守、経営の適正化に努めて参ります。 https://t.co/4J3W3RPqeM

— ufotable (@ufotable) July 9, 2021

The translation of the Tweet above reads as such: "Our company and our representative have been indicted on suspicion of violating the Corporate Tax Law. We sincerely apologize to all the fans and related parties. We filed an amendment tax return under the guidance of the national tax authorities and paid the full amount. We will strive to comply with laws and regulations and optimize management in order to create a better production environment,"

Back in the summer of last year, the animation house had apologized when the news surfaced regarding the tax evasion charges, causing Hikaru Kondo to step down as President when it was revealed that the studio had apparently owed millions of dollars of back taxes. Needless to say, while this hasn't seemed to have an impact on any current or future projects for the studio responsible for the Demon Slayer anime adaptation, we'll be sure to keep you posted on any further developments when it comes to Ufotable.