Asia

Japan man gets death sentence for killing 36 in anime studio arson

Shinji Aoba looks up as he is transported on a stretcher to the Fushimi police station in Kyoto on May 27, 2020. Photo: AFP

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 shockwaves 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.

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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Japan man gets death sentence for killing 36 in anime studio arson

Shinji Aoba looks up as he is transported on a stretcher to the Fushimi police station in Kyoto on May 27, 2020. Photo: AFP

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 shockwaves 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.

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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স্বাধীনতাবিরোধীদের চক্রান্ত প্রতিহতে ঐক্যবদ্ধ হওয়ায় আহ্বান প্রধান উপদেষ্টার

শহীদ বুদ্ধিজীবী দিবসে সবাইকে ঐক্যবদ্ধ হয়ে স্বাধীনতাবিরোধী অপশক্তির যে কোনো চক্রান্ত-ষড়যন্ত্র প্রতিহত করে নিজ নিজ অবস্থান থেকে দায়িত্ব পালনের আহ্বান জানিয়েছেন অন্তর্বর্তী সরকারের প্রধান উপদেষ্টা ড....

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