July 18, 2019

Kyoto Animation fire: Arson attack at Japan

anime studio kills 33

At least 33 people died and dozens were injured after a man set fire to an animation studio in the Japanese
city of Kyoto, officials say.

Police said the 41-year-old suspect broke into the Kyoto Animation studio on Thursday morning and
sprayed petrol before igniting it. The suspect has been detained and was taken to hospital with injuries.
Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said the incident was "too appalling for words" and offered
condolences. It is one of Japan's worst mass casualty incidents since World War Two. Kyoto Animation,
known as KyoAni, produces films and graphic novels, and is well regarded by fans for the quality of its
productions.

How did the incident unfold?

The fire broke out at the three-storey building at about 10:30 local time (01:35 GMT) on Thursday.
Rescue operations are still ongoing.

KyoAni: The beloved studio making distinctive art

Police also found knives at the scene, say local media. Public broadcaster NHK said the man had been
heard saying "drop dead" as he set fire to the building. The suspect's relationship with the company is
unclear. It took firefighters five hours to bring the blaze under control, reports said. Eyewitnesses
described a loud explosion followed by an inferno that rapidly engulfed the building. "I saw some people
with burns, covered with something. They were rushed to the ambulance," one neighbour said. Volunteer
fire corps members stand guard in front of the Kyoto Animation building. The official, Kazuhiro Hayashi,
said most of the casualties had been on the stairs to the top floor, where they apparently collapsed trying
to escape. Firefighters said they had found 33 bodies, two on the first floor, 11 on the second floor and 20
on the stairs from the third floor to the top floor, he said. Some 36 people are in hospital, some in a
critical condition, reports say. About 70 people were in the building when the fire started.

Who is the suspect?

Reports say the man is not a former employee - but eyewitnesses say he appeared to be angry with the
animation studio. They said he ran away from the building towards a nearby train station after the fire
started but fell to the ground. Some reports said he was pursued by employees of Kyoto Animation.
Emergency crew wheel a stretcher away from the building in the city of Kyoto. "A person with singed
hair was lying down and there were bloody footprints," a 59-year-old woman living nearby told news
agency Kyodo. "He seemed to be in pain, irritated and suffering, but also angry as if he was resentful. I
heard him saying something like 'You copied it'," a neighbour said. The Asahi Shimbun newspaper
quoted a 61-year-old neighbour as saying she clearly heard the man shout: "You ripped me off." The
suspect was injured and was being treated in hospital, so police could not immediately question him,
NHK said. Japanese media reports said a man in his 40s had earlier bought 40 litres (nine gallons) of
petrol at a nearby petrol station. Two containers used for the fuel were later found at the scene of the fire,
Asahi Shimbun newspaper reported.

Meanwhile Kyoto Animation Director Hideaki Hatta told the broadcaster that the company had recently
received threatening emails. "They were addressed to our office and sales department and told us to die,"
he said. Mr Hatta told reporters that he was "heartbroken" at the attack. "It is unbearable that the people
who helped carry Japan's animation industry were hurt and lost their lives in this way," he said.

What do we know about the studio?

Kyoto Animation, known as KyoAni, was founded in 1981 and has produced popular animation shows
including K-On and The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya. The studio also released a standalone feature
anime A Silent Voice in 2016.One of KyoAni's series, Violet Evergarden, was picked up by Netflix for a
global market. Floral tributes have been left outside the building as people pay their respects to the
victims. It also publishes many popular graphic novels, mainly about teenage school life. The studio is
known for paying its animators a regular salary, breaking with the industry's standard of paying per frame
- which is seen as putting extreme pressure on staff. It is also the first successful studio outside Tokyo,
Prof Ryusuke Hikawa from Meiji University told NHK.

How have fans reacted?

Japanese anime has a huge following not just in Japan but around the world. On social media, many fans
have been expressing their shock and posting pictures of their favourite KyoAni shows. A GoFundMe
campaign titled "Help KyoAni Heal" has also been started, with more than $300,000 (£240,000) raised in
six hours.
Reflection essay

Kyoto Animation is a Japanese animation studio that has produced almost 21 anime series and
numerous films including the famous TV animation series, “K-On” that have entertained and inspired a
lot of people because of its unique storyline. That is why hundreds of thousands of anime fans were so
devastated when they heard about the tragedy that happened on 2019 July 18th, where Japan experience
the worst mass casualty incident since World War Two.

Thursday morning, a 41 year old named Shinji Aoba broke in to Kyoto Anime Studio and
sprayed petrol before igniting it. The fire broke out at the three storey building and killed at least 33
people and injured dozens of them, including the man who caused the disaster. The man had been heard
saying “drop dead” and “you copied it” as the set fire to the building. It took almost five hours to bring
the blaze under control. This issue has deeply affected a lot of people around the world most especially
the families of the innocent people that got involved in the scene. Crimes in Japan are very low, but there
are periodic spasms of random and extreme violence. Mentally unstable people doing unspeakable violent
things happen all over the world. Joblessness is also having higher risk factors for future criminal activity
than a psychiatric condition.

The news article is relevant to us in order to be aware of what is happening around the world.
Being aware of what’s happening widen our outlook on how we understand a certain issue. That being
said, we became more alert at the possible things that may happen to us, we may not get rid of this totally
but we can avoid it from occurring.

We can never avoid thinking of doing something harmful to someone especially when you are
infuriated to them. However, if you are furious we didn’t have to do it in a violent way or in a way that
you will regret later on. Instead, you can seek help by talking to someone, maybe a trusted friend or a
family member. Clearing your mind or distracting yourself with other activities also helps ease your mind
from the things that make you outraged. We should let go of the grudges we hold against people we
despise in order to set ourselves free.