In Japan, Shinji Aoba, 45, admitted to being the author of a deadly fire at an animation studio in Kyoto in 2019, in which 36 people lost their lives. The death penalty was requested against the accused, local media announced this Thursday. “I didn’t think so many people were going to die and now I think I’ve gone too far,” he said.
The death penalty has been requested against the man accused of the arson of an animation studio in Kyoto (western Japan) in 2019 which caused 36 deaths, Japanese media announced on Thursday. Shinji Aoba, 45, admitted to being the author of the fire during the first hearing of his trial in Kyoto in early September. The verdict is expected on January 25. “I didn’t think so many people were going to die and now I think I’ve gone too far,” the accused said at the time.
He himself was seriously burned in the disaster and appeared at his trial in a wheelchair. His lawyers pleaded not guilty, arguing that he lacked “the ability to distinguish between right and wrong” due to psychiatric disorders. However, he was charged in December 2020 after being considered by prosecutors to be “fully responsible for his actions” and mentally fit to stand trial.
Japanese public opinion still favors the death penalty
Shinji Aoba acted out of “revenge based on misplaced grudges,” the prosecution said. He had no connection with the studio Kyoto Animation (nicknamed “KyoAni”) but he accused it of stealing a script idea from him, according to media reports. The KyoAni tragedy, which also left around thirty studio staff injured, had a major impact in Japan and abroad.
Founded in 1985 and renowned for the quality of its production, KyoAni is still in business, having continued its operations despite the tragedy. The Kyoto court was not immediately available to confirm local media reports on the prosecution’s requisitions. Along with the United States, Japan is one of the few democratic countries to still authorize the death penalty, where it is carried out by hanging. Japanese public opinion remains largely in favor, despite the criticism.