Miwa Abiko is a Japanese manga artist born on January 23, 1961, in the town of Ōgawara in Miyagi Prefecture. She began her professional career while studying at a design school in Sendai, making her debut in 1983 with the short story Romanticist na Nijitachi published in the summer issue of Bessatsu LaLa. Early in her career, she won the 43rd and 44th LaLa Newcomer Awards for the stories Shoten Rappa no Oto ga suru and Copy the Face.

Abiko is best known as the creator of Mikan Enikki, also known as Mikan's Picture Diary. The manga was serialized in Hakusensha's LaLa magazine from 1988 to 1994, spanning 14 volumes. The story follows an orange tabby cat named Mikan who possesses the extraordinary abilities to speak, walk on two legs, and even appreciate sake. The series is notable for blending gentle slice-of-life storytelling with humorous fantasy elements, and it became one of her most enduring works. The manga was later adapted into a 31-episode anime television series produced by Nippon Animation, which aired from October 1992 to June 1993. The anime was directed by Noboru Ishiguro and remains the primary work for which Abiko is recognized in animation.

Throughout her career, Abiko has primarily published with Hakusensha, creating works for magazines targeting different demographics. Her early and most prolific output appeared in LaLa, a magazine aimed at young girls, which serialized works such as Mayonaka o sugite mo from 1985 to 1987. Following the success of Mikan Enikki, she continued to produce manga for more mature audiences. She contributed to the inaugural issue of the josei magazine Melody in October 1997, where her series Rakuen e ikō! ran until 1999. She later published works in the josei magazine Silky, including Umi o miteita Inu from 2003 to 2004 and Yayan no Kimochi from 2005 to 2006. She has also created a special continuation of her most famous work, Mikan Enikki Tokubetsuhen, which began publication in 1999.

Abiko's artistic identity is characterized by a focus on heartfelt and warm narratives that explore human and animal relationships. Her storytelling is often noted for its sincerity and emotional depth, frequently using the perspective of animals to comment on the human condition, as exemplified by the talking cat Mikan. Her work holds significance in the manga and anime industry as a representative example of successful cross-demographic appeal, originating as a shōjo manga but finding a broad audience through its anime adaptation. While her international fame rests largely on Mikan Enikki, her extensive body of work within the josei genre demonstrates a lasting career dedicated to creating tender, character-driven stories.