Man sentenced to death after deadly Japanese anime studio arson attack
Newsy
The case centered around the moment a man charged into an animation studio in the city of Kyoto, setting it on fire with about 70 people inside.
A man in Japan was convicted of murder after he was accused of charging into an anime studio in the city of Kyoto, setting fire to the building and killing 36 people.
Over 30 other people were badly hurt, with injuries that included severe burns. Shinji Aoba, 45, was found to be mentally able to face punishment for his crimes by a district court in Kyoto, even though his lawyers tried to argue that he was mentally unfit to be held responsible for the deadly arson.
NHK, TV Asahi and other Japanese media reported Aoba was sentenced to death for the murders.
In July 2019, Aoba entered a main studio for Kyoto Animation Co. and set the multi-story building on fire while around 70 people were working inside.
Aoba was also badly burned in the fire and had to be hospitalized for 10 months. He was formally arrested in May 2020.
