Prosecutors Request Death Sentence for KyoAni Arson Suspect Shinji Aoba; 2019 Attack in Kyoto Left 36 Dead, 32 Injured

Yomiuri Shimbun file photo
Shinji Aoba is seen on May 2020

KYOTO — At a trial for the deadly 2019 arson attack on a Kyoto Animation Co. studio held at the Kyoto District Court on Thursday, prosecutors sought the death penalty for Shinji Aoba, 45, indicted on charges including murder.

According to the indictment, Aoba poured gasoline on Kyoto Animation’s No. 1 studio in Fushimi Ward, Kyoto, and set it on fire, killing 36 people and attempting to kill 34 more.