Key PointsA man has been convicted and sentenced to death for a 2019 arson attack in Japan.Thirty-six people died during the attack at the Kyoto animation studio and more than 30 were injured.Japan is the only G7 country other than the US that still has the death penalty.
A Japanese man was convicted and sentenced to death on Thursday for the arson and killing of 36 people at famed anime studio Kyoto Animation in 2019, public broadcaster NHK said.
The deadly attack on the Kyoto-based studio, better known as KyoAni, had sent shock waves not only through Japan where violent crime is rare, but also overseas given the studio’s far-reaching fan base and the audacity of the crime.
Shinji Aoba, now 45, had set the studio ablaze by dousing the entrance area of the building with petrol, also injuring 32.
Aoba himself suffered heavy burns and underwent intensive treatment for nearly a year.
Mourners at the site of Kyoto Animation Co. in Kyoto on 19 July 2019. Source: AP / Hirohito Nomoto
Media have reported that Aoba held a grudge against the studio, known for the series Violet Evergarden and other popular works, believing that it had plagiarised his novel, an allegation that KyoAni has denied.
A pillar of Japanese pop culture, anime has become a major cultural export, winning fans around the world.
The incident prompted condolences from world leaders and business executives such as Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Apple chief executive Tim Cook.
Japan and the United States are the only Group of Seven (G7) nations that carry out capital punishment.
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