Delusion Led Accused to Attack KyoAni, Psychiatrist Testifies

From Jiji

October 26 2023

KYOTO – A man accused of carrying out a deadly arson attack at a Kyoto Animation Co. studio in 2019 had severe paranoid disorder, attacking the anime powerhouse led by his delusion, a psychiatrist said Thursday. 

Takayuki Okada, professor at Tokyo Medical and Dental University’s Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, testified at the 14th hearing in the trial of defendant Shinji Aoba, 45, at Kyoto District Court. As requested by the defense, Okada has conducted the second psychiatric evaluation on Aoba, after he was indicted.

“Delusion formed the motive” for attacking the anime production company, known as KyoAni, Okada said.

The professor also said that Aoba’s delusions were “chronic and persistent” and that they affected his life.

The focus of the trial is the extent to which Aoba was influenced by his “delusion” that KyoAni stole ideas from his unpublished novel.