The first hearing of the trial of Aoba, who was arrested in connection with the arson of the three-story KyoAni studio in the city’s Fushimi district, was held at the Kyoto District Court.
Aoba, wearing a face mask and sitting in a wheelchair, pleaded guilty to charges including “murder” and “arson”.
Aoba admitted that she set fire to the studio. “I felt like I had no choice but to do what I did. I didn’t expect so many people to die.” used the phrases.
Aoba is expected to be convicted at the end of January 2024.
Prosecutors are reportedly seeking the death penalty against Aoba.
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Aoba herself suffered life-threatening burns in the July 2019 attack, which killed 36 KyoAni employees and injured 33.
Arrested in May 2020, Aoba submitted her work to the KyoAni competition and said on the day of the incident, “I started a fire because my novels were subject to plagiarism.” he was said to have cried.
The animation studio announced that after the allegations, the works of the suspect did not pass the preliminary screening and were not accepted.
“K-On!” and “Haruhi Suzumiya’s Sorrow” is recognized in the international market.