In the trial of the arson murder case of "Kyoto Animation", the prosecution argued in an interim argument regarding the responsibility of the defendant Shinji Aoba, "He was fully responsible, such as acting in a planned manner with the understanding that it was a crime." On the other hand, the defense who is pleading not guilty said in the interim argument that "more than 10 years of delusional experiences and anger caused him to lose the ability to distinguish between right and wrong and control his actions."
The defendant, Shinji Aoba (45), is accused of murder, arson and other crimes for sprinkling gasoline and setting fire to the Kyoto Animation Studio 2019 in Fushimi Ward, Kyoto City in July 7, killing 1 employees and seriously injuring 36 others.
On the 32th, the prosecution's interim argument and the defense's interim argument were held on the issue of accountability, which was the biggest point of contention at the trial held at the Kyoto District Court.
Regarding whether the defendant, who claims that "KyoAni stole the idea of the novel," was influenced by delusions, the prosecution said, "He acted on his own judgment in order to carry out his plan with the understanding that it was a crime, such as hesitating just before committing the crime." It was a manifestation of a pattern of thinking and behaviour of attacking others, and the impact of delusions was small and full responsibility."
After this, the bereaved family and their attorneys stood in court using the victim participation system and expressed their opinions, such as "The defendant has an extremely self-centered personality tendency to think only about his own novel rather than the lives of 6 people, and it is unlikely that delusion influenced the crime."
Defendant Aoba turned to the bereaved family and listened intently, occasionally closing his eyes.
On the other hand, the defense side that claims not guilty said, "The defendant had a severe delusional disorder at the time of the crime.
The jury and the judge will hold a closed-door interim hearing to determine the level of responsibility, and then move on to the hearing of the circumstances related to the severity of the sentence, and in December, the final arguments and sentences will be heard, and the verdict will be handed down on January 36 next year.
What are the thoughts of the bereaved family?
"The claim of innocence for the murder of 36 people is unacceptable."
The mother of Naomi Ishida, a 49-year-old animator who died in the incident, said, "I can't go to the hearing because I think that when I see the photos of the scene in the courtroom, I remember the painful feelings at that time, but I check the contents of the trial on the news. It was based on past arson cases," but even in that case, several people died and were sentenced to death, but the claim that he was not guilty of killing 36 people is unacceptable. He also made statements that confirmed that it was a premeditated crime, so I think he was responsible."
"I don't want the defendant's argument to be accepted."
Chieko (47), the mother of Yasuhiro Takemoto (75 years old at the time), who died in the incident, said, "I always read the contents of the trial, but I have the impression that the defendant has no remorse at all. I thought that I had nothing but resentment against Kyoto Animation, such as asking a lawyer representing the bereaved family. I'm justifying what I've done, so I'm not expecting an apology. I understand that only liability can be contested, but I don't want the defendant's argument to be recognized."