36 people lost their lives… He confessed his crime
The first hearing in the trial of Aoba, who was arrested for the burning of the three-story KyoAni studio in the city’s Fushimi district, was held at the Kyoto District Court.
Aoba, wearing a mask and sitting in a wheelchair, pleaded guilty to charges including murder and arson.
Aoba admitted that he set the studio on fire: “I felt like I had no choice but to do what I did. “I didn’t expect so many people to die,” she said.
Aoba is expected to be sentenced by the end of January 2024. Prosecutors are reportedly seeking the death penalty against Aoba.
A man prays for the victims in front of the burning Kyoto Animation building in Kyoto, Japan.
36 PEOPLE DID IT, 33 PEOPLE INJURED
Aoba herself suffered life-threatening burns in the July 2019 attack, which killed 36 KyoAni employees and injured 33.
It was claimed that Aoba, who was arrested in May 2020, submitted her work to the KyoAni contest and yelled, “I started a fire because my novels were stolen” on the day of the incident.
The animation studio announced that following the accusations, the suspect’s works failed preliminary evaluation and were not accepted.
“K-On!” and “Haruhi Suzumiya’s Sorrow” is accepted in the international market. (AA)