Photo/Illutration Smoke rises from Kyoto Animation Co.’s No. 1 studio after an arson attack on July 18, 2019. (Asahi Shimbun file photo)

In one episode of “Black Jack,” an iconic manga series created by Osamu Tezuka (1928-1989), political extremists plot to blow up an apartment complex where their nemesis is hiding.

The bombing will inevitably kill many innocent residents as well, but the extremist group’s young leader declares that it can’t be helped.

But the bomb explodes while being assembled in the basement and the leader sustains near-fatal injuries.

“I don’t want to die,” he wails while hovering between life and death.

He survives and regains consciousness thanks to Black Jack, the genius surgeon who works his life-saving magic despite his utter contempt for his patient, who obviously does not care about people losing their lives but can not bear to face his own death.

The entire surgical procedure is watched by other apartment residents--men and women, young and old.

The group’s leader becomes aware of his own madness and sobs. He probably understood the preciousness of life for the first time, only when he was on the brink of death.

I wonder if that was also the case with Shinji Aoba, who allegedly set fire to Kyoto Animation Co.’s studio in 2019 and killed 36 people.

Aoba sustained severe burns from the gasoline he poured at the crime scene, but he was saved by his dedicated medical team.

While in the hospital, he reportedly wept, thinking that he’d permanently lost his voice.

But since he got his voice back, shouldn’t he be using it to utter words of apology to his victims and their families? That, surely, is the very first step he must take in atonement of his alleged atrocities.

However, there was no such scene on Sept. 7 when he was questioned in court for the first time.

Earlier, on the first day of his court hearings on Sept. 5, Aoba admitted to the charges brought by prosecutors, then said in a barely audible voice, “I overdid it.”

Is that the entirety of his thoughts from the four years leading up to the start of his trial?

Thirty-six people were killed and another 32 were injured. The hearings will continue until January of next year and statements will be submitted to the court by some of the bereaved families.

I earnestly hope that Aoba will face every single victim whose life he trampled on and recognize the enormity of his folly.

--The Asahi Shimbun, Sept. 8

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Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a popular daily column that takes up a wide range of topics, including culture, arts and social trends and developments. Written by veteran Asahi Shimbun writers, the column provides useful perspectives on and insights into contemporary Japan and its culture.