'36 Dead' Kyoto Animation Arson Case
Doctor: "Treated to Stand Trial"
97% Mortality Rate Broken... Japanese Prosecution Seeks Death Penalty
Japanese prosecutors have sought the death penalty for Aoba Shinji (45), the perpetrator who set fire to Kyoto Animation Studio in Japan in 2019, killing 36 employees.
The perpetrator himself suffered severe burns over his entire body and fell into a coma due to the arson, but thanks to doctors who did their best to treat him so that "he should not be allowed to escape through death," he stood trial more than four years after the incident.
The suspect Shinji Aoba in the "Kyoto Animation Arson Case" being carried on a stretcher and transferred from the hospital to the police on May 27, 2020 Photo by AP Yonhap News
On the 7th, Kyodo News and NHK reported that Japanese prosecutors have sought the death penalty for Aoba Shinji, the suspect in the 2019 Kyoto Animation Studio arson case in Japan.
According to the reports, prosecutors defined the case at the Kyoto District Court trial held that day as "an incident where fire was set out of grudge and revenge," and stated the reason for seeking the death penalty was that "it caused the largest number of victims in the history of Japanese criminal trials."
The defense argued that the perpetrator had emotional disorders due to delusions at the time of the crime and lacked the ability to distinguish right from wrong or control his actions. However, prosecutors believed he had clear judgment, considering that he sat in a nearby alley for about 10 minutes in thought just before the crime.
On July 18, 2019, Aoba poured gasoline and set fire to Kyoto Animation’s Studio 1, an animation production company located in Kyoto City, Japan. It is known that he harbored resentment after failing to win a novel contest held by Kyoto Animation.
As a result of this incident, 36 of the 70 employees working at the studio died, and 33 suffered serious injuries. It was the incident with the highest number of fatalities in a murder case in Japan since World War II.
At the time, Aoba himself suffered severe burns over 93% of his body and fell into a coma due to the arson. Takahiro Ueda, a burn specialist at Osaka Kinki University Hospital, saved him through dedicated treatment and sent him to court.
He told local media, "The predicted mortality rate was 97.45%, and it seemed impossible for him to survive," but added, "For the victims’ sake, I thought he should not be allowed to escape through death," explaining the reason for treating him.
Eventually, Aoba survived, was formally arrested by the police in May 2020 on charges including murder and arson, and the first trial was held last September. The trial was delayed for over four years due to his treatment.
On the 6th, during defendant questioning, Aoba apologized to the bereaved families, saying "I am sorry." It was his first apology since causing the incident four years ago.
The first trial sentencing hearing is scheduled for January 25 next year.
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