Shogakukan’s Manga ONE Reports New Author Appointment Issue and Establishes Independent Investigation Committee

Official Statement from Manga ONE (Full Translation)

Regarding the Appointment of the Original Author of The Counselor Through Years and Stars

Manga ONE Editorial Department

We sincerely apologize to our readers and to all creators who contribute to Manga ONE and Shogakukan for causing a situation that has damaged the trust of so many people. We also apologize to all creators whose works and activities have been affected. We take seriously the opinions and feedback we have received. Sexual violence, sexual exploitation, and all forms of human rights violations are never permissible. Nevertheless, there were shortcomings in the way our editorial department addressed the individual who suffered sexual harm.

We would like to explain the matter concerning Tatsuki Matsuki, who wrote the original story for Act-Age, serialized in Weekly Shonen Jump, and who has been writing the original story for The Counselor Through Years and Stars on Manga ONE under the different pen name Miki Yatsunami. Even criminal history constitutes personal information, and disclosing such information without the individual’s consent would constitute a serious violation of human rights. At the request of the Manga ONE editorial department, we asked Mr. Yatsunami for permission to disclose that he is Tatsuki Matsuki. Considering that speculation had already begun to spread, Mr. Yatsunami consented to the disclosure.

The following is disclosed with Mr. Yatsunami’s consent. In August 2020, Mr. Yatsunami was arrested and indicted on suspicion of forcible indecency and subsequently received a guilty verdict of one year and six months in prison, suspended for three years. The editorial department was aware of this fact when it made the decision to appoint him as the original author of The Counselor Through Years and Stars. Prior to the appointment, we confirmed that the verdict had been finalized and that the suspended sentence period had expired. We also confirmed his attitude of remorse regarding the incident, his efforts to prevent recurrence, and the status of professional support for his social reintegration. These matters were discussed internally within the editorial department before the decision was made.

The process leading to the appointment was as follows.
On August 29, 2024, a Manga ONE editor contacted the X account under the name Tatsuki Matsuki to request a meeting. On August 30 of the same year, the editor received an email sharing that he was writing a novel titled The Counselor of the Hero’s Party, which would later become the basis for The Counselor Through Years and Stars, on a fiction submission website.

On September 6 of the same year, with the approval of the then editor in chief, we met in person in Tokyo. During this meeting, we first heard about his deep sense of atonement toward the victims, his regret and remorse regarding the incident, the changes in his life and inner state from the time of the incident through the finalization of the verdict and the completion of the suspended sentence period, and his writing of the novel. From this point, Mr. Yatsunami expressed concern that continuing activities under his former pen name might revive memories of the incident for the victims and potentially lead to secondary harm. He therefore wished to pursue writing activities in a manner that would not cause further harm.

After reporting the details of the meeting to the editor in chief at the time and obtaining approval, we began discussions aimed at publishing the work on Manga ONE. For the reasons stated above, he began working under the pen name Miki Yatsunami. The primary reason for changing the pen name was consideration for the victims, as described. Knowledge of this fact was limited to a very small number of individuals within the editorial department.

Following the incident, Mr. Yatsunami has been receiving psychological counseling. He has deeply reflected upon the court’s verdict and the social consequences he faced. Through repeated sessions with a psychologist aimed at rehabilitation, he has engaged in ongoing self reflection and remorse regarding his past actions. These experiences became one of the motivations behind writing this work. The psychologist in charge has determined that Mr. Yatsunami’s psychological recovery and rehabilitation have been sufficiently achieved. Based on this, the editorial department determined that it should not be denied for him to seek reintegration into society.

Meanwhile, Kaoru Yukihira, who is responsible for the artwork, was informed in person by both Mr. Yatsunami and the assigned editor about the former pen name and the details of the incident. After being made fully aware of the various risks that could potentially arise if this fact became public, Kaoru Yukihira stated that it was the first time tears were shed while reading a manga manuscript and that this was a work that should be personally illustrated. The offer to handle the artwork was accepted on the belief that the themes, social significance, and appeal of the work should be shared widely. Prior to the public disclosure of Mr. Yatsunami’s past, the editorial department consulted with Kaoru Yukihira in advance. The intention to continue the serialization and the artwork was expressed.

The decision to change the pen name was based on the judgment of Mr. Yatsunami and the editorial department, consistently guided by a desire to consider the victims. However, now that disclosure has become unavoidable, we believe the Manga ONE editorial department should have given even more careful thought to whether this method truly constituted consideration for the victims or whether it might instead have caused them further harm.

We feel a strong sense of responsibility for the situation in which this announcement may reopen past events and potentially cause distress to the victims. We offer our sincere and heartfelt apologies.

The Manga ONE editorial department will fully cooperate with the investigation by the independent third party committee and seek expert judgment as to whether the decisions made throughout this process were appropriate. In order to cooperate with the investigation, effective today, the serialization of The Counselor Through Years and Stars will be temporarily suspended. We will respond in good faith regarding any damages incurred by Mr. Yatsunami and Ms. Yukihira as a result of this suspension.

Finally, we once again offer our deepest apologies to the victims. We also sincerely apologize to all those who are feeling anxiety and concern.

Manga one Official

Source : ORICON NEWS