Photo/Illutration An illustration of Shinji Aoba listening to the Kyoto District Court’s decision on Jan. 25 (The Asahi Shimbun)

KYOTO—Defense lawyers on Jan. 26 appealed the death sentence given to Shinji Aoba, the arsonist convicted of murdering 36 people in a fire at a Kyoto Animation Co. studio in 2019.

The decision to file the appeal at the Osaka High Court will certainly disappoint many bereaved family members who had expressed relief after the Kyoto District Court’s sentence of capital punishment the previous day.

Aoba, 45, has admitted to starting the deadly fire, which also injured 32 people. His lawyers argued that he should not be held responsible for his actions because he was suffering from severe delusions and could not differentiate between right and wrong.

He had claimed Kyoto Animation, also known as Kyoani, had stolen his ideas.

One of those killed in the blaze was Junichi Uda, 34, who was involved in producing key frames for the movie “A Silent Voice.”

Uda’s widow said the bereaved families had been hoping for the death sentence.

“I want the defendant to accept the verdict and sentence,” she said tearfully on Jan. 25.

The ruling was handed down in Courtroom 101, the largest at the Kyoto District Court.

All 88 seats in the room were filled when Presiding Judge Keisuke Masuda dismissed the defense’s “insanity” claim and found Aoba responsible for the crime.

After stating the reasons for the guilty verdict, the judge said: “I announce the main sentence. Defendant, if you are ready.”

Masuda twice said, “The defendant is sentenced to death.”

Aoba, who was seriously injured in the fire and now uses a wheelchair, bowed his head deeply and left the courtroom.

The family members used handkerchiefs to wipe away tears and blow their noses.

They had earlier been forced to endure a long delay just to bring the suspect to trial.

Aoba was taken into custody shortly after the fire broke out. But he had severe burns all over his body and fell unconscious.

He underwent repeated surgeries and gradually recovered. The bereaved family members had to wait about 10 months for Aoba to be healthy enough to face arrest.

Many of the family members used the victim participation system in the 23-session trial to ask questions directly to Aoba and express their opinions on what sentence he deserved.

Shoko Ikeda, who played a key role in producing the hit anime “The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya,” was 44 when she died in the fire.

Her husband, 51, stood in court five times and called out “Aoba-san.”

“You have also destroyed the dreams of the people who created the (Kyoani) works,” he told the defendant.

After the sentencing, he said the court’s decision is something “both Shoko and our (6-year-old) son can understand.”

However, at least one bereaved family member, a father whose daughter was killed in the attack, said, “I didn’t want (Aoba) to be sentenced to death.”

In previous interviews, the man said he fully understood the feelings of other people who wanted Aoba to die for what he did.

But he also said: “If he is executed, what will be left?… The death penalty does not suit Kyoani, which creates gentle and enjoyable animated films.”

Hideaki Hatta, president of Kyoto Animation, had appeared as a witness in the trial and spoke about the magnitude of the loss.

“The employees had so much love for their work,” he testified. “These people are treasures to the world of creators.”

After the sentencing, Hatta released a statement about continuing the dreams of the victims.

“Even after the verdict, my feelings of bitter disappointment do not change a bit,” he wrote. “I will continue to produce works for as long as we can.”

(This article was written by Yoko Hibino, Shogo Mitsuzumi and Keitaro Nishizaki.)

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