A Japanese court has condemned Shinji Aoba, 45, to death for brutally murdering 36 people in a 2019 arson attack on Kyoto Animation’s Studio 1. The Kyoto District Court, on Thursday, determined Aoba’s mental capacity to face punishment for charges including murder and arson. Aoba harbored a grudge, accusing the studio of stealing his ideas, although no evidence of plagiarism was found.
Judge Keisuke Masuda, quoted by NHK, described the attack as turning the studio into hell and causing indescribable pain to the victims. Aoba, reportedly motivated by rejection in an annual contest, broke into the building, spreading petrol and shouting “drop dead” while igniting the fire. The tragedy shocked the anime industry, leaving around 70 people in the three-story building during the attack.
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Survivors shared harrowing experiences, describing the black cloud and scorching heat. Over 30 individuals were severely injured, and many victims succumbed to carbon monoxide poisoning. Aoba, appearing in court in a wheelchair due to severe burns sustained during the attack, spent ten months in the hospital before his May 2020 arrest. Despite his lawyers claiming mental unfitness, the judge ruled Aoba was not insane or suffering diminished mental capacity during the crime.
Japan’s deadliest fire since 2001, the incident drew global grief. Apple CEO Tim Cook acknowledged the studio’s impact, stating its artists “spread joy all over the world.” A US animation company raised $2.4 million via crowdfunding to aid Kyoto Animation’s recovery. Known as KyoAni, the studio, founded in 1981, produced renowned series like “The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya” and “K-ON!”
For the families of the deceased, the pain persists. A mother expressed regret for not preventing her daughter from going to work that fateful morning, emphasizing that even with Aoba’s death penalty, the void left by the loss remains.
