Takashi Yamaguchi, the editor-in-chief of Kodansha’s Monthly Shonen Sirius, issued public apology to Cells at Work! creator Akane Shimizu on July 3, acknowledging shortcomings in its editorial management following the manga creator’s recent posts on X detailing issues she experienced during the series’ serialization.
In his statement on Kodansha’s official website, Yamaguchi noted that Shimizu had indeed raised concerns regarding the medical supervision system during the manga’s serialization, her working environment, the conduct of her editor at the time, and the crediting of derivative works released after the series ended.
Yamaguchi admitted that despite receiving multiple requests from Shimizu to improve her working conditions during serialization, it failed to properly establish a medical supervision system and provide an appropriate production environment, including arranging assistants.
He also acknowledged that Shimizu was not properly consulted in advance regarding credit listings for some spin-off works and publications related to anime adaptations.
Kodansha apologized for the burden and emotional distress caused by those shortcomings, adding that although the editor involved is no longer assigned to Shimizu, the matter reflects failures in the editorial department’s management and supervisory system rather than the actions of a single individual.
“As Ms. Shimizu also stated in her posts, discussions are currently ongoing between her and the relevant departments within Kodansha in an effort to sincerely resolve issues stemming from past events.We have also confirmed that Ms. Shimizu’s current support system and the environment for her new projects are being managed in a positive manner that prioritizes and respects her wishes,” they added.
He added that Kodansha is working to ensure all manga creators can focus on their work by strengthening creator support systems and maintaining psychological safety, and said the Sirius Editorial Department will continue improving its support structure.
The statement was concluded with an apology to Shimizu, readers and everyone affected by the matter.
Following Kodansha’s statement, Shimizu confirmed on X that she had received a letter of apology from the editorial department.
“I would like to inform everyone that I have received a letter of apology from the editorial department. I sincerely thank everyone involved for responding to my recent posts with sincerity. I also deeply apologize to everyone who was concerned after reading my posts. As this matter is currently under discussion with Kodansha, I will continue to respond calmly as those discussions proceed.“
Source: Kodansha’s Official Website
