Latest Update on the Kyoto Animation Arson Case: Suspect Confesses Motive

According to the report by "Kyoto News" on the 13th, the fifth trial of the Kyoto Animation arson case took place in the Kyoto District Court in Japan. The defendant, Makoto Aoba, confessed in court that his motive for the arson was related to his two-year effort to submit a novel to Kyoto Animation. He expressed extreme disappointment after his work was ultimately rejected, leading to a profound sense of betrayal.

On the morning of the 13th, during the questioning of the defendant, Aoba mentioned that he had spent two years writing a novel and submitting it to Kyoto Animation, only to be rejected in the end. He said, "I was very disappointed and felt like I had been let down." Aoba later learned that he was not the only one rejected and expressed confusion about Kyoto Animation's selection process, saying, "I don't know what this company is doing." He also named a female director from Kyoto Animation, expressing strong dissatisfaction with her: "She rejected my novel and even announced it on her blog. I don't understand why they publicly disclosed the works of the rejected authors."

In the trial on the 13th, the prosecution argued that Aoba's criminal act was driven by irrational hatred and was an act of revenge. However, the defense firmly maintained that Aoba lacked full criminal responsibility and advocated for his innocence or a reduced sentence.

Looking back at the incident, on the morning of July 18, 2019, Kyoto Animation's first studio in Fushimi-ku, Kyoto, Japan, was subjected to a horrifying arson attack, resulting in the deaths of 36 people and injuries to 33 others. Aoba himself suffered severe burns in the fire. The Kyoto Animation arson case has been referred to by the Japanese police as the deadliest arson incident in Japan in the past 30 years.