25 January 2024, 04:56 GMTUpdated 2 hours agoImage caption, Shinji Aoba started a fire in 2019 that killed 36 people in the Kyoto Animation Studio A Japanese man has been sentenced to death for an arson attack at a Kyoto animation studio in 2019 which killed 36 people and injured dozens more. The incident shocked the anime world and resulted in the deaths of a large number of young artists. Shinji Aoba, 45, admitted to the attack, but his legal team argued for a lighter sentence on the basis of “mental incompetence”. However, judges dismissed this claim, determining that Aoba was aware of his actions at the time of the crime. “I have concluded that the defendant was not mentally unstable or weak when the crime was committed,” Chief Judge Masuda said at Kyoto District Court on Thursday. “The deaths of 36 people are extremely serious and tragic. The fear and suffering of the victims who died was beyond words,” reported Japanese broadcaster NHK. Many of the animation staff, primarily young artists, were trapped on the upper floors of the studio as the fire spread. This attack was one of the most deadly in recent decades, leading to widespread mourning in Japan. The public and media in the country closely followed the case. Prosecutors sought the death penalty for Aoba, claiming that he had attacked the studio due to his belief that his work had been plagiarized. Aoba alleged that Kyoto Animation – known as KyoAni – had stolen a novel he had submitted to their contest. In July 2019, he entered the studio during a workday, poured gasoline on the ground floor, and set it on fire while repeatedly shouting “Drop dead”. In his guilty plea in September 2023, he stated that he did not anticipate so many casualties. “I felt that I had no choice but to do what I did,” he said. “I am extremely sorry, with feelings of guilt included.” Aoba himself sustained burns to over 90% of his body in the fire and was apprehended only after he had recuperated from surgeries. Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Aoba told the court last year he didn’t think so many people would be killed “His motive was influenced by the delusion that KyoAni Studio had plagiarized his work,” prosecutors told the court. However, they asserted that he was not controlled by such delusions and acted with full capacity and understanding. On Thursday, the judge provided a lengthy explanation along with victim testimonies before delivering the verdict. More than half of the animation studio’s 70 employees perished in the incident, with another 32 sustaining injuries. “Some of them saw their colleagues engulfed in flames, and some are grappling with psychological effects, tormented by feelings of guilt and remorse,” said Judge Masuda. The families of the victims were present in the courtroom, many visibly emotional as the judge detailed Aoba’s crime, as reported by NHK. The outlet also reported that Aoba kept his head bowed as the judge pronounced the death penalty. Japan upholds capital punishment for its most serious offenses, such as multiple murders, with convicted individuals typically remaining on death row for years or even decades. The death penalty is carried out by hanging. The KyoAni studio in Kyoto is a revered institution renowned for its production of films and graphic novels highly esteemed by fans and critics alike, including K-On! and The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya. Video caption, Watch: The fire tore through the animation studio headquarters in July 2019
