A Japanese has been sentenced to death for an arson attack at a Kyoto animation studio in 2019 which killed 36 people and injured dozens more.

A deadly attack on an anime studio in Japan, involving Shinji Aoba, killed 36 people, including young artists, and shocked the anime world. Aoba pleaded guilty but was rejected by judges, who found him not mentally insane or weak at the time. The incident sparked national mourning and widespread media attention in Japan.

Prosecutors demanded the death penalty for Aoba, who attacked Kyoto Animation after believing his work was stolen. He claimed KyoAni plagiarized a novel he entered into their contest. Aoba suffered burns to over 90% of his body in the fire and was only arrested after recovering from operations.

Prosecutors claimed that KyoAni Studio’s founder, Aoba, plagiarized his work, leading to the death penalty. The studio’s 70-strong workforce was killed and 32 injured, with many suffering from psychological effects and guilt. Japan maintains capital punishment for serious crimes.