Questioning of KyoAni Arson Defendant Begins

From Jiji

September 7 2023

KYOTO – The man accused of the 2019 deadly arson attack on a Kyoto Animation Co. studio was questioned for the first time in his trial at Kyoto District Court on Thursday.

Explaining his state of mind just after the incident, Shinji Aoba, 45, facing murder and other charges, told the third hearing that he thought the police officers who came to apprehend him were public security department members because they arrived very quickly in response to the fire.

In the first hearing Tuesday, Aoba said he “didn’t imagine that so many people would lose their lives,” admitting that he carried out the attack.

The attack on the No. 1 studio of the animation powerhouse also known as KyoAni in the western Japan city of Kyoto left 36 people dead and 32 others injured.

The defense says Aoba should be acquitted due to mental incompetence or given leniency due to his diminished capacity.