- Guilty Plea in Kyoto Animation Studio Fire
- Motives Behind the Tragic Attack Remain Unclear
- Trial Begins for Accused Arsonist Shinji Aoba
A Japanese man has pleaded guilty to starting a fire that killed 36 people at a prominent animation studio.
The Kyoto Animation studio fire on July 18, 2019, was one of the worst homicide cases in Japanese history.
Many of the fatalities were young animators who were confined on the upper floor, and 32 people were injured.
Despite the likelihood that prosecutors will seek the death penalty, Shinji Aoba’s defense attorneys are seeking an acquittal on the grounds of mental incompetence.
According to reports, Aoba has accused Kyoto Animation of stealing his work, which the studio has denied. His motivations are opaque.
In 2019, the then-prime minister of Japan, Shinzo Abe, characterized the attack as “incomprehensible.”
Aoba, 45, faces five allegations, including murder, attempted murder, and arson, as a result of the severe burns he sustained.
He is accused of bursting into the studio, dousing the ground floor with petrol, and setting it on fire before yelling “Drop dead!”
“I had no choice but to do what I did,” said Shinji Aoba, who appeared in a wheelchair in the Tokyo District Court on Tuesday. “I did not anticipate so many deaths, and now I believe I went too far.”
Aoba’s defense team argued that even if he were convicted, he should receive a reduced sentence due to his “state of diminished capacity” and the fact that he was hallucinating during the attack.
Prosecutors told the court that Aoba falsely believed that Kyoto Animation plagiarised a novel he submitted to the company’s contest.
They claimed he was unaffected by the delusions and could be held fully responsible for the attack.
According to Japan’s Kyodo News, approximately 500 people waited in queue early Tuesday morning for a handful of seats in the courtroom to observe the trial proceedings.
The verdict is anticipated in January 2019.
The fan-favorite studio, also known as KyoAni, produces films and graphic novels that are highly regarded for their high quality.
K-On! and The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya are examples of well-known animated works.
