Kyoto Animation arson attack
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

The occurred at Kyoto Animation's Studio 1 building in the Fushimi ward of Kyoto, Kyoto Prefecture, Japan, on the morning of 18 July 2019. The
arson Arson is the crime of willfully and deliberately setting fire to or charring property. Although the act of arson typically involves buildings, the term can also refer to the intentional burning of other things, such as motor vehicles, wat ...
killed people, injured an additional 34 (including the suspect), and destroyed most of the materials and computers in Studio 1. It is one of the deadliest massacres in Japan since the end of World War II, the deadliest building fire in Japan since the 2001
Myojo 56 building fire The was a structural fire that began at about 01:00 local time on September 1, 2001 in the Myojo 56 building, located in the Kabukichō section of Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan. The fire, the fifth-deadliest in post-war Japanese history, burned for ...
, and the first massacre ever to have occurred at a studio associated with an entertainment company, and the
animation industry Animation is a method by which still figures are manipulated to appear as moving images. In traditional animation, images are drawn or painted by hand on transparent celluloid sheets to be photographed and exhibited on film. Today, most anima ...
. The suspect, who did not work for the studio, entered the front door carrying about of gasoline and doused the area and several employees before igniting it. After setting himself on fire while lighting the fuel, the suspect attempted to flee, but was apprehended by police about from the building. Witnesses stated they heard him accusing the studio of
plagiarism Plagiarism is the fraudulent representation of another person's language, thoughts, ideas, or expressions as one's own original work.From the 1995 '' Random House Compact Unabridged Dictionary'': use or close imitation of the language and thought ...
. 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, and he was formally indicted on 16 December 2020. In addition to condolences and messages of support from national and international leaders, fans and businesses raised over in Japan and over US$2.3 million internationally to help the studio and its employees recover. As a result of the incident, some works and collaborations by the studio were delayed, and several events were suspended or cancelled.


Background

Kyoto Animation is one of Japan's most acclaimed anime studios, known for titles such as '' The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya'', '' K-On!'' and '' Clannad''. It has several different locations in Kyoto: Studio 1 (in Fushimi ward); Studio 2 (the head office), and Studio 5. Their merchandise development division is in Uji, one train station away from Studio 1. The building was used mainly by the animation production staff, and was constructed in 2007. In the year leading up to the attack, Kyoto Animation had received over 200
death threat A death threat is a threat, often made anonymously, by one person or a group of people to kill another person or group of people. These threats are often designed to intimidate victims in order to manipulate their behaviour, in which case a deat ...
s. Company president Hideaki Hatta said they did not know if the threats were related to the incident, as they were sent anonymously, but he had informed police and lawyers of them. After the National Police Agency were informed of these threats in October 2018, they temporarily patrolled the head office at the time.


Incident

The fire began with an explosion at around 10:31 a.m. (01:31 UTC) when the perpetrator walked into Studio 1 and set the building on fire with of gasoline. The perpetrator bought the gasoline away from the building, and it was believed that he walked to the building with the gasoline being carried on a platform trolley. The police believed that the gasoline dispersed on site mixed with the air, causing the explosion at the start. The perpetrator is reported to have been shouting as he carried out the attack. He also poured gasoline over some individuals before setting them alight—setting himself on fire in the process—causing them to run out into the street in flames. As the fire grew by the entrance, staff members were trapped inside the building. Twenty bodies were found on the stairs from the third floor to the roof, evidently indicating that the victims were attempting to escape. Tomoaki Nishino, associate professor at Disaster Prevention Research Institute of
Kyoto University , mottoeng = Freedom of academic culture , established = , type = National university, Public (National) , endowment = ¥ 316 billion (2.4 1000000000 (number), billion USD) , faculty = 3,480 (Teaching Staff) , administrative_staff ...
, estimated that the second and third floors were almost filled with smoke within 30 seconds of the explosion. The perpetrator fled the scene but was chased by two Kyoto Animation employees and soon collapsed on the street, where he was apprehended by police. Multiple unused knives were found lying by the scene. The fire was under control at 3:19 p.m. (06:19 UTC), and extinguished at 6:20 a.m. on the next day (21:20 UTC). Once the rescue efforts had ended, it was confirmed that all people in the studio had been accounted for. The building did not have fire sprinklers or indoor fire hydrants due to its classification as a small office building, but had no deficiencies in fire safety compliance during its last inspection on 17 October 2018. Initial reports claimed the studio's entrance required employee pass-cards, but the door was left unlocked as the studio was expecting visitors. However, this was inaccurate: there was no security system in place and the door was always left unlocked during business hours. The arson attack destroyed most of Kyoto Animation's materials and computers in Studio 1, though a small portion of keyframes were on exhibition in Tokushima and hence spared destruction. On 29 July, Kyoto Animation reported that it successfully recovered some digitized original drawings from a
server Server may refer to: Computing *Server (computing), a computer program or a device that provides functionality for other programs or devices, called clients Role * Waiting staff, those who work at a restaurant or a bar attending customers and su ...
that survived the fire. The attack is reported to be one of the deadliest massacres in Japan's history since the end of World War II and the deadliest building fire in the country since the
Myojo 56 building fire The was a structural fire that began at about 01:00 local time on September 1, 2001 in the Myojo 56 building, located in the Kabukichō section of Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan. The fire, the fifth-deadliest in post-war Japanese history, burned for ...
in 2001. It was considered "suicidal terrorism" by one criminology professor at
Rissho University , one of the oldest universities in Japan, was founded in 1580, when a seminary was established as a learning center for young monks of the Nichiren shu. The university's name came from the Rissho Ankoku Ron, a thesis written by Nichiren, a prom ...
, as the attack was reportedly intended to be a suicide mission by the suspect.


Victims

Seventy people were inside Studio 1 at the time of the fire. Initially it was reported that 34 people had been killed before two more later died at a hospital. Some victims were difficult to identify, according to the Kyoto police, because they had been burned beyond recognition.
Autopsy An autopsy (post-mortem examination, obduction, necropsy, or autopsia cadaverum) is a surgical procedure that consists of a thorough examination of a corpse by dissection to determine the cause, mode, and manner of death or to evaluate any di ...
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. DNA testing was done to aid in identifications, which lasted up to a week after the attack. It was reported that two-thirds of the victims (at least 20) were women, as the studio was known for hiring female animators. The president of Kyoto Animation asked the media through the police not to release the names of the victims out of respect for their families, stating that "releasing their names does nothing to serve the public good." On 25 July, Kyoto police said they had identified all 34 victims and had started to return the bodies of the victims to their relatives. Meanwhile, discussions were ongoing with Kyoto Animation on if, when, and how to reveal the identities of the deceased. Some of the families released their own findings early to the media regarding the status of their loved ones. The family of color designer
Naomi Ishida was a Japanese animation color designer who worked for Kyoto Animation. Early life Ishida was born to parents involved in Japan's traditional crafts industry; her father worked as a master cloth dyer for kimono, while her mother was a weaver o ...
confirmed her death on 24 July. Animator, scriptwriter, and director Yasuhiro Takemoto was confirmed dead by his family through DNA testing on 26 July. The first post-fire death occurred on 27 July which brought the number of deceased to 35. 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 was a Japanese animator, director and character designer. Career After graduating from a vocational college in Osaka, he began to work at Kyoto Animation. His first work as a key animator was ''Inuyasha'' in 2003 (which was contracted from Su ...
were among the dead. The remaining 25 victims were officially revealed on 27 August as the social impact of the case became a factor. On 4 October 2019, it was announced that one woman died from
septic shock Septic shock is a potentially fatal medical condition that occurs when sepsis, which is organ injury or damage in response to infection, leads to dangerously low blood pressure and abnormalities in cellular metabolism. The Third International Con ...
, bringing the death toll to 36. It was initially reported that 36 people were injured, but this figure dropped to 34 after two people later died at the hospital. By 18 September it was reported that all 34 people injured in the attack were no longer in life-threatening condition. Some still remained in the intensive care unit (ICU) with severe burns. According to the South Korean
Ministry of Foreign Affairs In many countries, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is the government department responsible for the state's diplomacy, bilateral, and multilateral relations affairs as well as for providing support for a country's citizens who are abroad. The entit ...
, one of the injured victims was a South Korean woman. Those who were reported safe include animation director Naoko Yamada, who directed ''K-On!'', '' A Silent Voice'' and ''
Liz and the Blue Bird is a 2018 Japanese animated drama film directed by Naoko Yamada and written by Reiko Yoshida, based on the ''Sound! Euphonium'' novel series written by Ayano Takeda and its eponymous anime television series adaptation by Yamada and Tatsuya Ishiha ...
''.


Suspect

, a 41-year-old man, was identified as the suspect by police and a warrant was quickly issued for his arrest. According to locals, a man resembling Aoba was spotted near Studio 1 days before the incident. He was also reported to have visited several places of interest related to '' Sound! Euphonium'' around the city in days prior to the attack. Immediately following the attack, Aoba fled the scene after being chased by employees of the studio but was apprehended by the Kyoto Prefectural Police near
Rokujizō Station Rokujizō Station (六地蔵駅 ''Rokujizō-eki'') refers to three different railway stations of the same name, located within the same vicinity in Rokujizo Naramachi, Uji, Kyoto, each operated by a different train company. Only the station of th ...
of Keihan Electric Railway, about from the studio; Aoba was then taken to a hospital with severe burns to the legs, chest, and face. During his transport to the hospital, Aoba admitted to having started the fire, possibly for revenge, accusing the studio of his novels. In spite of this, Hatta had initially stated that there is no record of anyone submitting work to their annual writing contest under Aoba's name. 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. It was later revealed that Aoba believed that a scene about buying discounted meat in the fifth episode of '' Tsurune'' was similar to one in the novel he submitted. 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. On 5 September 2019, it was reported that his injuries were no longer considered life-threatening, but he was still being treated in an ICU and required respiratory assistance from a ventilator. Aoba regained speech on 18 September and began rehabilitation by 8 October, being able to sit up on a wheelchair and hold short conversations. The police obtained a warrant for his arrest, but were required to await confirmation from doctors that Aoba could withstand confinement. On 14 November 2019, he was moved to another hospital in Kyoto for final rehabilitation. He recovered from most of his injuries and acknowledged responsibility for the attack. He expressed feelings of remorse and gratitude towards the hospital staff, who he said treated him better than anyone had ever done in his life. 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 Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty, is the state-sanctioned practice of deliberately killing a person as a punishment for an actual or supposed crime, usually following an authorized, rule-governed process to conclude that t ...
. Most of Aoba's burned skin was replaced with experimental artificial skin as the victims were prioritized to receive donor human skin first. The use of artificial skin on such extensive burns is the first case in Japan. By January 2020, Aoba remained hospitalized, and was unable to stand or eat unassisted. On 27 May 2020, Aoba was judged to have sufficiently recovered from his burn injuries, and he was formally arrested on suspicion of murder and other charges. He was indicted on 16 December 2020 on murder and other charges. Aoba had a prior criminal history and a
mental illness A mental disorder, also referred to as a mental illness or psychiatric disorder, is a behavioral or mental pattern that causes significant distress or impairment of personal functioning. Such features may be persistent, relapsing and remitti ...
. In 2012, he robbed a convenience store with a knife in Ibaraki Prefecture and was subsequently jailed for three-and-a-half years. It is speculated that Aoba's mental illness may reduce his maximum penalty for the attack from a death sentence to
life imprisonment Life imprisonment is any sentence of imprisonment for a crime under which convicted people are to remain in prison for the rest of their natural lives or indefinitely until pardoned, paroled, or otherwise commuted to a fixed term. Crimes for ...
.


Aftermath

One month after the arson attack, the victims began to return to work at the other Kyoto Animation studio. 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. The company has issued an official statement, requesting respect for the victims and their family members, and also stating that all future statements will be either through the police or their lawyers. The demolition process of the building was completed on 28 April 2020, with no further plans for the site revealed. 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. However, residents in the neighbourhood did not wish for a memorial to be built as it would destroy "the peaceful lifestyle f local residents. Due to recovery efforts, Kyoto Animation had suspended the 11th Kyoto Animation Awards, an annual award to discover new stories. In November 2019, the studio had decided to continue training programmes for aspiring animators, in which trainees would be trained in movies, sketching and animations. Upon graduating from the programme, outstanding trainees could be recruited by the studio after being examined further.


Impact on productions

In response to this incident, a publicity event for the upcoming 2020 film ''
Free! ''Free!'' is a Japanese anime television series produced by Kyoto Animation and Animation Do. The series is loosely based on the light novel, , written by Kōji Ōji, which received an honorable mention in the second Kyoto Animation Award ...
'' was cancelled. Kyoto Animation's ''Sound! Euphonium'' collaboration with Keihan Main Line was delayed, as was episode 4 of '' BEM''. The third episode of David Production's ''
Fire Force is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Atsushi Ohkubo. It was serialized in Kodansha's ''shōnen'' manga magazine ''Weekly Shōnen Magazine'' from September 2015 to February 2022, with its chapters collected in thirty-four '' ...
'', an anime series about firefighters and people dying from spontaneous combustion, was delayed for a week and released with the colours of the fires and narration modified. Subsequent episodes of ''Fire Force'' were dealt with in a similar manner. 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. The Japanese theatrical screening dates were extended by an extra week and honored the victims in the end credits. Despite earlier news reports stating that the upcoming ''Violet Evergarden'' film would premiere as scheduled on 10 January 2020, it was later announced to be delayed to 24 April 2020, but as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the premiere was again delayed to 18 September 2020. An episode for '' Animation x Paralympic'', originally due to be aired in August 2019, was eventually announced as cancelled on 28 February 2020, citing that they would be unable to complete it in time for the
2020 Paralympics The , branded as the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games, was an international multi-sport parasports event held from 24 August to 5 September 2021 in Tokyo, Japan. They were the 16th Summer Paralympic Games as organized by the International Paralympic ...
.


Measures to prevent recurrence

The Fire and Disaster Management Agency and the National Police Agency issued a notice on 25 July 2019, requiring gas stations to maintain sales records of people purchasing gasoline in refillable containers, which conform to fire safety regulations. Each record is to contain the buyer's personal information such as name, address, the purpose of the purchase, and quantity purchased. Although the notice had no legal backing, most buyers complied with this additional requirement voluntarily. This measure was formalised with the relevant regulations revised and coming into force on 1 February 2020 to make the sales records mandatory. Post incident, the Kyoto Municipal Fire Department formulated guidelines for evacuation in the event of arson or terrorism and encouraged the installation of evacuation ladders. As a result of the attack, police in Japan are becoming more vigilant with each death threat directed at other companies (especially
Khara Khara can refer to Places * Khara, Iran, a village in Isfahan Province, Iran * Khara-Khoto, the ruins of a medieval city in western Mongolia * Khara, Pakistan, a town in Punjab, Pakistan * Khara, Nepal, a village in Nepal * Khara, Raebareli, a vil ...
,
Square Enix is a Japanese Multinational corporation, multinational holding company, production enterprise and entertainment conglomerate, best known for its ''Final Fantasy'', ''Dragon Quest'', ''Star Ocean'' and ''Kingdom Hearts'' role-playing video game ...
,
Animate Animation is a method by which still figures are manipulated to appear as moving images. In traditional animation, images are drawn or painted by hand on transparent celluloid sheets to be photographed and exhibited on film. Today, most anima ...
, and '' Clannad'' developer company
Key Key or The Key may refer to: Common meanings * Key (cryptography), a piece of information that controls the operation of a cryptography algorithm * Key (lock), device used to control access to places or facilities restricted by a lock * Key (map ...
, all of which alluded to the incident and also received similar Kyoto Animation-referenced death threats), were able to identify the source of the threats, and arrested anyone who sent the threats before any further attacks transpire at these companies.


Memorial

A tribute video was published, one year after the attack, on 18 July 2020. The company had considered holding a memorial ceremony, but in light of the COVID-19 pandemic in Japan, decided against it. 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". In the video were messages and tributes from the studio, from staff members, and from the families of some of the deceased. The company requested that fans not visit the former site of Studio 1 on the anniversary of the incident to respect the wishes of local residents.


Reactions

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. Eventually, the bank account had accumulated approximately . The donations included separate  million donations from the Japanese musician Yoshiki and game developer
Key Key or The Key may refer to: Common meanings * Key (cryptography), a piece of information that controls the operation of a cryptography algorithm * Key (lock), device used to control access to places or facilities restricted by a lock * Key (map ...
. It was estimated that the company would require as much as  billion to cover the cost of supporting the victims and affected families and company-related business operating recovery expenses. As of November 2019, the company has begun the process of distributing the funds raised to the victims, with each victim receiving an appropriate amount after factoring various considerations such as severity of injuries, whether the victim is a sole breadwinner, etc.


Domestic

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe expressed his condolences and stated that he was "speechless" at the scale of the incident. A first in Japanese corporate history, a measure was passed in the
National Diet The is the national legislature of Japan. It is composed of a lower house, called the House of Representatives (Japan), House of Representatives (, ''Shūgiin''), and an upper house, the House of Councillors (Japan), House of Councillors (, ...
to allow for donations to the studio to be tax-exempt. The Chinese, French, Philippine, and Belgian embassies in Japan provided their own words of condolence. Numerous people and organisations related to the industry expressed concern and support, such as anime directors Makoto Shinkai and Tatsuki , '' K-On!'' voice actress Aki Toyosaki, '' The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya'' voice actresses Aya Hirano, Minori Chihara, and Yūko Gotō, '' Hyōka'' author Honobu Yonezawa, '' Clannad'' developer company
Key Key or The Key may refer to: Common meanings * Key (cryptography), a piece of information that controls the operation of a cryptography algorithm * Key (lock), device used to control access to places or facilities restricted by a lock * Key (map ...
, and media company
Kadokawa Corporation , formerly is a Japanese media conglomerate that was created as a result of the merger of the original Kadokawa Corporation and Dwango Co., Ltd. on October 1, 2014. History The holding company known today as Kadokawa Corporation was origi ...
. Animation studios such as
Shaft Shaft may refer to: Rotating machine elements * Shaft (mechanical engineering), a rotating machine element used to transmit power * Line shaft, a power transmission system * Drive shaft, a shaft for transferring torque * Axle, a shaft around whi ...
, Sunrise, Bandai Namco Pictures, Toei Animation, Bones,
Khara Khara can refer to Places * Khara, Iran, a village in Isfahan Province, Iran * Khara-Khoto, the ruins of a medieval city in western Mongolia * Khara, Pakistan, a town in Punjab, Pakistan * Khara, Nepal, a village in Nepal * Khara, Raebareli, a vil ...
,
Trigger Trigger may refer to: Notable animals and people ;Mononym * Trigger (horse), owned by cowboy star Roy Rogers ;Nickname * Trigger Alpert (1916–2013), American jazz bassist * "Trigger Mike" Coppola (1900–1966), American gangster ;Surname * Bru ...
,
Walt Disney Japan Buena Vista Home Entertainment, Inc., doing business as Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment, is the home entertainment distribution arm of The Walt Disney Company. The division handles the distribution of Disney's films, television series, an ...
, and Madhouse all offered their support as well.
Animate Animation is a method by which still figures are manipulated to appear as moving images. In traditional animation, images are drawn or painted by hand on transparent celluloid sheets to be photographed and exhibited on film. Today, most anima ...
, a major Japanese retailer of anime, video games, and
manga Manga (Japanese: 漫画 ) are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long prehistory in earlier Japanese art. The term ''manga'' is u ...
, took donations at all of their stores to support the victims, and had raised over  million by 1 September.


International

Several foreign dignitaries, including Tsai Ing-wen,
António Guterres António Manuel de Oliveira Guterres ( , ; born 30 April 1949) is a Portuguese politician and diplomat. Since 2017, he has served as secretary-general of the United Nations, the ninth person to hold this title. A member of the Portuguese Socia ...
, and others, offered their own messages of support for the victims. In the wake of the fire, a GoFundMe appeal was launched by American anime licensor Sentai Filmworks. With a target of US$750,000, it surpassed the US$1 million donation mark within the first 24 hours. It had received US$2.3 million at the end of the appeal. As of 7 December 2019, Sentai had transferred all of the funds raised, except for credit card processing fees, to Kyoto Animation studio. 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. American licensing companies Aniplex of America, Funimation and
Crunchyroll Crunchyroll is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service owned by Sony through a joint venture between Sony Pictures and Sony Music Entertainment Japan's Aniplex. The service primarily distributes films and tel ...
, and Nickelodeon Animation Studio, all offered their support.
Adult Swim Adult Swim (AS; stylized as
dult swim Dult is a village in Batala in Gurdaspur district of Punjab State, India. It is located from sub district headquarter, from district headquarter and from Sri Hargobindpur. The village is administrated by Sarpanch an elected representati ...
and often abbreviated as s is an American adult-oriented night-time cable television Television channel, channel that shares channel space with the basic cable network Cartoon Network and is programme ...
's anime-oriented Toonami block started their 20 July broadcast asking viewers to donate to the GoFundMe set up by Sentai Filmworks.


See also

*
2019 in Japan Events in the year 2019 in Japan. Incumbents *Emperor: Akihito (until 30 April), Naruhito (since 1 May) *Prime Minister: Shinzō Abe Governors * Aichi Prefecture: Hideaki Omura *Akita Prefecture: Norihisa Satake *Aomori Prefecture: Shingo Mimura ...
*
2021 Osaka building fire On 17 December 2021, a fire occurred in a psychiatric clinic located on the fourth floor of the Dojima Kita Building in Kita-ku, Osaka, Japan. The fire is suspected to have been started deliberately. Twenty-five people were killed and three more ...
*
Crime in Japan Crime in Japan has been recorded since at least the 1800s, and has varied over time. History Before the Meiji Era, crime was handled often severely at a daimyo level. Yakuza The yakuza existed in Japan well before the 1800s and followed codes ...
* List of building or structure fires * List of disasters in Japan by death toll * Sennichi Department Store Building fire


Notes


References


External links

* {{Portal bar, Anime and manga, Law, Japan 2019 crimes in Japan 2019 murders in Japan 2019 fires in Asia 2019 in animation Arson in Japan Arson in the 2010s Attacks on buildings and structures in 2019 Attacks on buildings and structures in Asia Attacks on office buildings Building and structure fires in Japan Commercial building fires Murder in Kyoto Disasters in Kyoto July 2019 crimes in Asia July 2019 events in Japan
Arson Arson is the crime of willfully and deliberately setting fire to or charring property. Although the act of arson typically involves buildings, the term can also refer to the intentional burning of other things, such as motor vehicles, wat ...
Urban fires in Asia