A JAPANESE man who admitted to starting a fire at the popular Kyoto Animation studio in 2019 that killed 36, has been sentenced to death by the court, local media reported. The man identified as Shinji Aoba, 45, reportedly broke into the studio, sprayed petrol around the ground floor and alighted it before shouting “Drop dead”.
The Kyoto District Court found Aoba guilty of setting the three-story building on fire and ruled that Aoba was “neither insane nor suffering diminished mental capacity at the time of the crime”. Despite admitting to starting the fire in the trial that started in September last year, Aoba’s attorneys entered a not-guilty plea. His team argued that even if he was to be convicted, he should be given a reduced sentence on account of his “state of diminished capacity”, adding that he was delusional at the time of the attack.
Notably, Aoba claimed the anime studio had stolen his ideas after rejecting his novels at an annual award contest the studio hosts. However, to this date, there is absolutely no evidence that studio plagarised his work.
Notably, Aoba nearly died in the attack as well, suffering severe burns on 90 per cent of his body, including on the face, torso and limbs.
Consequently, he remained unconscious for weeks and was treated for 10 months at a hospital, specialising in burns where he underwent several skin transplant operations, according to Japanese media reports. As for the beloved studio, also known as KyoAni, famous for producing graphic novels and films with high production value, the road to justice may have finally come to an end. Some of the popular animation works by the studio include K-On! and The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya.
By Desmond Nleya Stay up to date with the latest news. Follow Daily Times on instagram Channels.
