The Japanese Citizen Advocacy Team shinji aobacharged with murder and other charges against studio facilities and personnel Kyoto Animation in 2019, he has revealed that he will contest the defendant’s criminal liability challenge, arguing that at the time of the incident, Aoba was in a state of mental disorder. This information has been discovered through interviews with people related to the case.
The defendant has a history of treatment for mental illness in the past, so his group of lawyers are expected to fight to determine responsibility or to considerably reduce his punishment during his next trial, which will take place on September 5 in the Kyoto District Court.
On June 10, the Kyoto Prosecutor’s Office held an informative meeting with the relatives of the victims, where the schedule of the jury trial and the points in dispute were explained. The defense is expected to argue that, while acknowledging the charges brought, “Aoba has no capacity for criminal responsibility, or if it does, it is limited”. This means that the acts caused by the defendant should not have criminal consequences for him or they should be minimal. On the other hand, the prosecution maintains that Aoba does have all the powers to be punished.
According to sources close to the investigation, after his arrest, Aoba admitted to the charges, stating that “he thought he could kill many people using gasoline” and also mentioned thatKyoto Animation stole ideas from his novel“. It has been confirmed that Aoba previously submitted short stories and novels as part of his application, but whether plagiarism has been verified has not been verified.
Aoba also suffered severe burns during the incident, but has recovered enough to be able to hold conversations after receiving treatment. The Prosecutor’s Office decided to detain Aoba for approximately six months to conduct a psychiatric evaluation and determine his capacity for responsibility. In December 2020, the charges were filed. Subsequently, another psychiatric evaluation was carried out.
According to the indictment, on July 18, 2019, at around 10:30 a.m., Aoba sprayed gasoline at Kyoto Animation’s first studio, where about 70 people employed by the company were located. He is credited with starting a fire that killed 36 people and left 32 others seriously or lightly injured.
