25-1-2024 (TOKYO) A Japanese district court has delivered a death sentence to Shinji Aoba, a 45-year-old man responsible for a fire that claimed 36 lives at Kyoto Animation studios in 2019. The Kyoto District Court’s decision was announced on Thursday, following the prosecution’s pursuit of the death penalty, asserting premeditation and extreme malice in Aoba’s actions. Defence lawyers sought an acquittal or a reduced sentence, arguing Aoba’s mental incompetence during the crime.
Prosecutors contended that Aoba, fueled by delusions, accused Kyoto Animation of plagiarism, displaying a deep disregard for human life. While Aoba’s defence asserted his inability to be criminally responsible due to severe mental illness, Presiding Judge Keisuke Masuda acknowledged a delusional disorder but deemed it insufficient to impact Aoba’s conduct significantly.
Despite Aoba expressing remorse during the trial, he maintained his claim that the animation studio copied his novel. Appearing in court in a wheelchair, bearing scars from burns sustained in the fire, Aoba remained impassive during the proceedings and verdict announcement.
In a high-profile trial, 409 members of the public braved snowy conditions to secure 23 available seats for observing the proceedings. Kyoto Animation, known as KyoAni, is a renowned Japanese animation studio, celebrated globally for its works such as “K-On!” and “The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya.”
The court’s ruling outlined Aoba’s entry into Kyoto Animation’s Studio 1, igniting the fire with gasoline around 10:30 am, with 70 employees present. The trial, which commenced in September, marked over four years since the incident due to Aoba’s life-threatening burns requiring extensive treatment.
The death penalty, still upheld by the US and Japan within the G7 democracies, contrasts with the trend globally, where over 70% of countries have abolished capital punishment in law or practice. In 2023, the US executed 24 individuals, while Japan did not carry out any executions but imposed three new death sentences. As of 2022, Japan had 106 death row inmates, according to the Ministry of Justice.
