A Japanese man has been sentenced to death for an arson attack at a Kyoto animation studio in 2019 that killed 36 innocent people and injured dozens more people. This horror incident, one of Japan’s deadliest in recent decades, killed mostly young artists in the anime world.
One survivor, an animator, told Japanese Social media he jumped from a window of the three-storey building gasping for air amid scorching heat after seeing “a black mushroom cloud” rising from downstairs.
Judges rejected this, however, ruling that Aoba knew what he was doing.
“I have determined that the defendant was not mentally insane or weak at the time of the crime,” Chief Judge Masuda said on Thursday at Kyoto District Court.
“The death of 36 people is extremely serious and tragic. The fear and pain of the deceased victims was indescribable,” Japanese broadcaster NHK reported him saying.
Many of the animation staff – young artists – owners were killed after being trapped on the upper floors of the studio as the fire spread.
— Michael McInally (@MichaelMcInall6) January 25, 2024
#Japan now: Man sentenced to death for Kyoto anime fire which killed 36