KyoAni – Barrier Free Japan

by Michael Gillan Peckitt July 19, 2025 0

Kyoto Animation arson marks 6th anniversary with death penalty finalized

Kyoto Animation Co. held a memorial on Friday to honor the 36 victims of the 2019 arson attack, with families renewing the memories of their loved ones on the anniversary day that came months after the assailant dropped an appeal to overturn his death sentence. “Works that have been left (by the victims) are still moving the hearts of many people. You have clearly made a mark on the world, and we are proud of that,” a representative of the families said in a message read out in a ceremony at the site in Kyoto where the burned down No. 1 Studio once stood.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt January 28, 2025 0

Kyoto anime arsonist’s death penalty finalized as appeal dropped

A man charged with the 2019 fatal arson attack on a Kyoto Animation Co. studio has dropped his appeal to overturn his death sentence, a Japanese high court said Tuesday, finalizing the verdict over one of the country’s worst mass-murders.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt July 14, 2024 0

Crime Disability Japan KyoAni Kyoto

Monument Built in Kyoto in Memory of KyoAni Arson Victims

Ahead of the Kyoani arson fifth anniversary Thursday, the 3-meter-tall aluminum monument, built in the Historical Park of Tea and Uji Town, features a design symbolizing the individuality of the 36 victims soaring into the sky, adorned with inscriptions such as “Dreams and passion from person to person.”

by Michael Gillan Peckitt January 26, 2024 0

Crime Disability Japan KyoAni Mental Health

KyoAni Case Appealed to High Court after Death Sentence

The defense for the arsonist in the July 2019 attack on Kyoto Animation Co. filed an appeal with Osaka High Court on Friday to challenge the death sentence its client was given.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt January 25, 2024 0

Disability Japan KyoAni Mental Health

Survivors Gave Vivid Accounts of KyoAni Arson Attack

The attacker, Shinji Aoba, scattered a bucket of a liquid, yelled, “Die,” and set it alight, said an employee who was in her second year at the animation powerhouse, known as KyoAni, at the time of the incident.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt January 25, 2024 0

Disability Japan KyoAni Mental Health

Court to sentence man over fatal 2019 Kyoto Animation arson attack

A Japanese court on Thursday is set to sentence Shinji Aoba, the man responsible for a 2019 arson attack at a Kyoto Animation Co. studio that killed 36 people in one of Japan’s worst-ever mass murders.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt December 7, 2023 0

Disability Japan KyoAni Mental Health

Death penalty sought for man over 2019 Kyoto Animation arson attack

Prosecutors on Thursday demanded capital punishment for a man who has admitted to the 2019 arson attack at Kyoto Animation Co. that killed 36 people, while his defense counsel has called for an acquittal, arguing he was not mentally competent at the time.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt December 7, 2023 0

Japan KyoAni Mental Health

Man accused in Kyoto Animation arson case apologizes to bereaved families

A prosecutor asked the accused to elaborate on a previous comment in which he said he did not expect so many people would die and he went too far. The accused said his comment includes feelings of atonement and he is extremely sorry.

It is the first time for the accused to offer an apology in court.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt November 27, 2023 0

Crime Disability Japan KyoAni Mental Health

Court Starts Hearings to Decide Sentence for KyoAni Attack Suspect

A Japanese court started on Monday hearings to determine a sentence for a man accused of the July 2019 arson attack on a Kyoto Animation Co. studio, which killed more than 30 people.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt November 6, 2023 0

Crime Japan KyoAni Mental Health

Prosecutors Claim KyoAni Attacker Can Be Held Fully Responsible

Public prosecutors on Monday reiterated that a man accused of conducting an arson attack on a Kyoto Animation Co. studio in 2019 was competent to be held fully responsible for the incident that left 36 people dead and 32 others injured. The prosecutors said that the crime could be attributed to Aoba’s personality and that it was not possible to say that he had a limited capability to take responsibility.