KYOTO: A ceremony was held on July 18 to mourn the 36 victims of an arson attack on Kyoto Animation Co.’s No. 1 studio in the western Japan city of Kyoto a year ago.

The ceremony, which started at 10:30 a.m.  at the site of the studio in Fushimi Ward, was attended by 85 people from 30 bereaved families and nine people related to the famed anime company, better known as KyoAni, including President Hideaki Hatta.

“We won’t erase the proof of your lives,” a bereaved relative said in a message. All participants offered a minute of silence and laid flowers to the victims.

The arson “suddenly deprived talented creators from all over the country of their future,” Hatta said. “We remain in grief one year on.”

Expressing his sympathy to the victims and bereaved relatives, Hatta pledged that his company will move forward, remembering that “we have worked with our colleagues” to create anime works. “Our hearts are always with our fellow creators.”

To prevent infection with the novel coronavirus, KyoAni had called on fans to refrain from coming to the studio site to mourn the victims on the first anniversary of the incident and did not set up a flower altar.

Still, some people showed up around the site.

“I wanted to pray for them at the site,” a 46-year-old male company employee from the city of Minoo, Osaka Prefecture, western Japan, said.

“I still cannot sort out my feelings at all.”
 

“KyoAni works encouraged me,” the man said, citing his experience of being bullied at school. “I want KyoAni to continue creating works that can inspire many people.”

To coincide with the ceremony, KyoAni released a video for paying tribute to the victims on its official YouTube channel.

The seven-and-a-half-minute footage, in which messages from the company and related people were shown, was viewed by over 26,000 people in real time.

Around 10:30 a.m. on July 18, 2019, Shinji Aoba, the 42-year-old suspect, released gasoline at the No. 1 studio and set it alight. The arson killed 36 people and injured 33 others.

Aoba himself suffered severe burns and was hospitalized for about 10 months. He was arrested by the Kyoto prefectural police department on May 27 this year.

Aoba, who is still bedridden, has told the police that he committed the act as KyoAni stole his novels. His memory of the incident appears to be fading somewhat, according to investigative sources.

KyoAni has categorically denied the plagiarism.

JIJI Press