Kyoto Animation arson attack
The Kyoto Animation arson attack (Japanese: 京都アニメーション放火殺人事件, Hepburn: Kyōto Animēshon hōka satsujin jiken, lit.After awaiting his recovery from life-threatening burns for more than ten months, the police arrested 42-year-old Shinji Aoba on suspicion of murder and other offenses on 27 May 2020.[27][28] The arson attack destroyed most of Kyoto Animation's materials and computers in Studio 1,[29][30] though a small portion of keyframes were on exhibition in Tokushima and hence spared destruction.[31] On 29 July, Kyoto Animation reported that it successfully recovered some digitized original drawings from a server that survived the fire.[44] Autopsy results released on 22 July 2019 revealed that a majority of victims had succumbed to burns (rather than carbon monoxide poisoning) due to the quick-spreading fire.[42] On 2 August, Kyoto police released the names of ten victims (including the people already mentioned) whose funerals had finished and relatives' consents obtained, and it was confirmed on the same day that animation directors Yoshiji Kigami and Futoshi Nishiya were among the dead.[b] Those who were reported safe include animation director Naoko Yamada, who directed K-On!, A Silent Voice and Liz and the Blue Bird.[25][23] During his transport to the hospital, Aoba admitted to having started the fire,[72] for revenge,[73] accusing the studio of "ripping off" or "plagiarising" (パクリやがって, pakuri yagatte) his novels.[c] Initially, company president Hideaki Hatta had stated that there was no record of anyone submitting work to their annual writing contest under Aoba's name.[78] Subsequently, Kyoto Animation revealed that they had received a draft novel from Aoba; however, it did not pass the first-stage assessment and was forgotten, and its contents were confirmed to have no similarities to any of their published works.[79][80][81][64] Due to serious burns sustained during the incident, Aoba was transferred to a university hospital in Osaka for further treatment, where he received necessary skin graft surgery.[89] On the other hand, he told police that he lit the fire because Kyoto Animation had stolen his novel, and that he expected to get the death penalty.[109][110] As of October 2019, while the number of Kyoto Animation employees decreased from 176 to 137, 27 of the surviving 33 victims returned to work with several having decided to take extended breaks to cope with the stress and anxiety brought by the attack.[114] In an earlier interview, Kyoto Animation's president Hideaki Hatta stated that he was considering replacing the building with a green public park and a memorial monument.[123] The studio decided to push on with premiering Violet Evergarden: Eternity and the Auto Memory Doll on 3 August 2019 at Germany's AnimagiC convention as originally scheduled.[139] Similarly, at 10:30 am JST on 18 July 2021, Kyoto Animation's YouTube channel streamed a 13-minute video to "provide a place for everyone to share their thoughts and feelings".[139] Kyoto Animation accepted direct donations through a local bank account to help the victims of the attack from 23 July 2019 to 27 December 2019.[145][146][147] It was estimated that the company would require as much as ¥10 billion to cover the cost of supporting the victims and affected families and company-related business operating recovery expenses.[d] Numerous people and organizations related to the industry expressed concern and support, such as anime directors Makoto Shinkai and Tatsuki [ja], K-On![174] Fans have also taken to Kyoto Animation's Japanese digital store to directly contribute by purchasing high-resolution downloadable images as they do not require staff to ship them.[150] Adult Swim's anime-oriented Toonami block started their 20 July broadcast asking viewers to donate to the GoFundMe set up by Sentai Filmworks.
FushimiKyoto PrefectureCoordinatesKyoto Animationmass murderGasolinelighterknivesJapaneseHepburndeadliest massacres in JapanWorld War IIMyojo 56 building firemassacreanimation industryplagiarismNational Dietdeath threatsNational Police AgencyKyoto Universityfire sprinklersfire hydrantskeyframesTokushimaserverdeadliest massacresRissho UniversityAutopsycarbon monoxide poisoningNaomi IshidaYasuhiro TakemotoYoshiji KigamiFutoshi Nishiyaseptic shockintensive care unitMinistry of Foreign AffairsNaoko YamadaA Silent VoiceLiz and the Blue BirdSaitamaIncarceratedRevengemental illnessConviction(s)Murderattempted murdertrespassingUrawa, SaitamaSound! EuphoniumRokujizō StationKeihan Electric RailwayplagiarisingTsuruneskin graftrespiratory assistanceventilatordeath penaltyindictedcriminal historyIbaraki Prefecturelife imprisonmentmemorial monumenttraining programmesKeihan Main LineDavid ProductionFire Forcespontaneous combustionAnimagiCCOVID-19 pandemicAnimation x Paralympic2020 ParalympicsFire and Disaster Management AgencySquare EnixAnimateClannadCOVID-19 pandemic in JapanAkihabaraYoshikibreadwinnerPrime MinisterShinzo AbeMakoto ShinkaiAki ToyosakiThe Melancholy of Haruhi SuzumiyaAya HiranoMinori ChiharaYūko GotōHyōkaHonobu YonezawaKadokawa CorporationSunriseBandai Namco PicturesToei AnimationTriggerWalt Disney JapanMadhousevideo gamesTsai Ing-wenAntónio GuterresGoFundMeSentai FilmworksAniplex of AmericaFunimationCrunchyrollNickelodeon Animation StudioAdult SwimToonami2019 in Japan2021 Osaka building fireCrime in JapanList of building or structure firesList of disasters in Japan by death tollSennichi Department Store Building fireThe Hollywood ReporterThe New York TimesNippon TVJiji PressBBC NewsThe IndependentThe Japan TimesKyoto ShimbunDeadline HollywoodAsahi ShimbunThe Straits TimesKyodo NewsThe Guardian