Trial opens in Japan within the 2019 animation studio arson that killed 36 individuals. Suspect pleads responsible

TOKYO (AP) — The suspect in a 2019 arson assault at an animation studio in Japan went on trial Tuesday, pleading responsible to the homicide of 36 individuals. The trial for the deadliest crime in a long time within the nation had been lengthy delayed to offer the defendant time to get well from severe burns sustained within the assault.

Shinji Aoba, 45, is charged with a number of counts of homicide, tried homicide and arson after he stormed into Kyoto Animation’s No. 1 studio on July 18, 2019, and set it on fireplace. The blaze killed 36 individuals and left greater than 30 others badly burned or injured.

Aoba appeared earlier than the Kyoto District Court in a wheelchair and carrying a surgical masks, Japanese media reported. Prosecutors stated he carried out the crime in “revenge,” pondering the Kyoto Animation had stolen one among his novels, which he had submitted for an organization contest, experiences stated.

In his assertion, Aoba stated the assault was all he may take into consideration at the moment however that he by no means thought so many individuals would die. He now thinks he went too far, he stated, in response to the experiences.

Aoba practically died within the assault, struggling extreme burns on 90% of his physique, together with on the face, torso and limbs. He was unconscious for weeks and handled for 10 months at a hospital specializing in burns, the place he underwent a number of pores and skin transplant operations that saved him, police stated.

He was final publicly seen on a stretcher on the time of his arrest in May 2020, after the 10-month hospitalization. Prosecutors waited one other six months for the outcomes of a psychiatric analysis earlier than urgent formal fees. They stated he was mentally match to face trial, whereas Aoba’s protection legal professionals argued he’s mentally unfit to be held criminally accountable.

About 70 individuals had been working contained in the studio in southern Kyoto, Japan’s historic capital, on the time of the assault. One of the survivors, an animator, has stated he noticed a black mushroom cloud rising from downstairs, then scorching warmth got here and he jumped from a window of the three-story constructing gasping for air.

Experts say they imagine many died of carbon monoxide poisoning.

The firm, based in 1981 and higher often known as KyoAni, made a mega-hit anime sequence about highschool ladies and educated aspirants to the craft.

The assault shocked Japan and drew an outpouring of grief from anime followers worldwide.

On Tuesday, 500 individuals lined up outdoors of the court docket to vie for 35 public seats obtainable within the courtroom for the primary listening to. There will likely be 30 extra trial classes this yr earlier than a verdict, anticipated in January.

Japanese media have described Aoba as being considered a troublemaker who repeatedly modified contract jobs and residences. Neighbors stated he usually quarreled with different residents in varied condo buildings he lived in close to Tokyo. He served jail time for theft at a comfort retailer in 2012.