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33 Dead in Suspected Arson at Kyoto Animation Studio Japan in Shock After Suspected Arson at Kyoto Animation Studio Kills 33
(32 minutes later)
TOKYO — A man ignited a flammable liquid around an animation studio in Kyoto, Japan, on Thursday, the police said, killing at least 33 people — with more feared dead — in a devastating morning blaze. TOKYO — For the second time in two months, Japan has been shocked by devastating apparent violence in a country that is generally considered one of the safest in the world.
About 70 people were inside the offices of Kyoto Animation when the blaze started at about 10:30 a.m., the police said. The Kyoto police said on Thursday that a 41-year-old man was believed to have ignited a flammable liquid around an animation studio in Kyoto. The resulting fire killed 33 people in what is believed to be country’s deadliest arson attack in three decades.
The Kyoto City Fire Department confirmed that 33 people had died in the Thursday blaze and that no more people were believed to be missing. At least 36 others were injured. The fire came just weeks after a man went on a stabbing rampage in a Tokyo suburb, attacking 17 schoolgirls, killing one of them as well as an adult. That rampage, by a 51-year-old man, cast attention to the phenomenon of Japan’s “hikikomori” — adults who are extreme recluses — and their psychological issues.
The police questioned a 41-year-old man who was suspected to have set the fire after spreading a liquid. He was receiving treatment at a hospital, according to local news reports. At the studio of Kyoto Animation, which has produced popular shows and movies including “Full Metal Panic,” “K-On” and “Clannad” and has done contract work for the world-famous anime company Studio Ghibli, three dozen people were also injured in the morning blaze.
The fire is one of the worst in Japan’s recent history. In 2008, 16 people were killed when a video store burned down in Osaka. In 2001, 44 people died after a fire broke out at a crowded gambling club in Tokyo’s busiest entertainment district. The man believed to have set the fire, who was hospitalized with burns, was being detained. NHK, Japan’s public broadcaster, said the police planned to question him further after he told them he had splashed flammable liquid near the studio building and set it alight.
The blaze on Thursday came less than two months after a man went on a stabbing rampage in a suburb outside Tokyo, attacking 17 schoolgirls, killing one of them as well as an adult. The rampage by the 51-year-old man cast attention to the phenomenon of Japan’s “hikikomori,” adults who are extreme recluses, and their psychological issues. Citing the Kyoto police, the Asahi Shimbun, one of Japan’s largest mainstream dailies, reported that the man had entered the building screaming “Die!” and then tried to escape, but collapsed on the street outside. He was captured by members of the studio’s staff.
Kyoto Animation is best known for producing shows and movies including “Full Metal Panic,” “K-On” and “Clannad,” among other works. It was founded by Yoko Hatta and her husband, Hideaki Hatta, in 1981, and most of the studio’s production takes place in the building that was the site of Thursday’s fire. Thursday’s tragedy touched a nerve among the Japanese public, who poured out their grief on social media. The hashtag #prayforKyoAni had 170,000 tweets late Thursday evening.
Footage of Thursday’s fire from a local TV station showed black smoke rippling out of windows of the three-story building, with one side of the building mostly charred black. Arson is rare in Japan, and experts quoted by NHK said it was the worst case since 1989. In 2001, 44 people died after a fire broke out at a crowded gambling club in Tokyo’s busiest entertainment district, but that was ruled accidental.
Citing the Kyoto police, the Asahi Shimbun, one of Japan’s largest mainstream dailies, reported that the suspect had entered the building screaming, “Die!” The newspaper reported that the suspect had tried to escape, but collapsed on the street outside and was captured by members of the studio’s staff. Kyoto Animation was founded by Yoko Hatta and her husband, Hideaki Hatta, in 1981, and most of the studio’s production takes place in the building that was the site of Thursday’s fire.
The shows and movies that Kyoto Animation produces fall into the category of Japanese cartooning known as anime. It is a backbone of Japan’s popular culture and one of the country’s major soft-power exports. With roots going back to the early 20th century, anime has found an international following through artists like Hayao Miyazaki, whose animated feature “Spirited Away” won an Oscar in 2003, and Makoto Shinkai, whose movie “Your Name” was a global phenomenon, particularly in China. Footage of Thursday’s fire from a local television station showed black smoke pouring out of windows of the three-story building, with one side of the building mostly charred black.
On Twitter, Mr. Shinkai showed his support. “Everyone at Kyoto Animation, please please stay safe,” he said, in a message that was recirculated almost 19,000 times. The shows and movies that Kyoto Animation produces fall into the category of Japanese cartooning known as anime — a backbone of the country’s popular culture and one of its major soft-power exports.
With roots going back to the early 20th century, anime has found an international following through artists like Hayao Miyazaki, whose feature “Spirited Away” won an Oscar in 2003, and Makoto Shinkai, whose movie “Your Name” was a global phenomenon, particularly in China.
On Twitter, Mr. Shinkai showed his support for the Kyoto Animation staff. “Everyone at Kyoto Animation, please please stay safe,” he said, in a message that was recirculated almost 19,000 times.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe also expressed sympathy on Twitter for the victims of the fire.Prime Minister Shinzo Abe also expressed sympathy on Twitter for the victims of the fire.
“Today, we had many casualties in a fatal arson attack that happened in Kyoto,” Mr. Abe wrote. “It is so horrifying that I am at a loss for words. I’d like to express my deepest condolences to the victims. I offer my thoughts to those who have been wounded and pray for their recovery, by even one day.”“Today, we had many casualties in a fatal arson attack that happened in Kyoto,” Mr. Abe wrote. “It is so horrifying that I am at a loss for words. I’d like to express my deepest condolences to the victims. I offer my thoughts to those who have been wounded and pray for their recovery, by even one day.”
Witnesses who spoke to other Japanese news outlets described grim scenes near the studio. According to the Mainichi Shimbun, another large daily, a woman in her 60s living near the building said she saw a young woman, her entire body burned, screaming and running into a nearby shop begging for help. Witnesses who spoke to other Japanese news outlets described grim scenes near the studio. According to the Mainichi Shimbun, another large daily, a woman in her 60s living near the building said she had seen a young woman, her entire body burned, screaming and running into a nearby shop, begging for help.
The witness said the woman was bleeding, her clothing torn and her feet bare. “It took a long time until the ambulance arrived,” the witness told the Mainichi. “All I could do was to spray water over her under the fire department’s instruction. She was eventually transferred to an ambulance.”The witness said the woman was bleeding, her clothing torn and her feet bare. “It took a long time until the ambulance arrived,” the witness told the Mainichi. “All I could do was to spray water over her under the fire department’s instruction. She was eventually transferred to an ambulance.”
Another witness who was working near the studio on Thursday when the fire broke out told the Sankei Shimbun that he saw flames coming from the first and second floor of the building and heard screaming. The unnamed witness said he saw a man hanging onto the wall outside the building, and another trying to escape from a first-floor window after breaking it. Another witness who was working near the studio when the fire broke out told the Sankei Shimbun that he had seen flames coming from the buildings’ first and second floors and heard screaming. The witness said he had seen a man hanging onto the wall outside the building, and another trying to escape from a first-floor window after breaking it.