Photo/Illutration Kyoto Animation Co. President Hideaki Hatta, second from left, addresses reporters on July 18 in Kyoto’s Fushimi Ward after a ceremony marking the fifth anniversary of the deadly arson attack on the company’s studio. (Yoshiaki Arai)

KYOTO—Flowers and prayers were offered here on July 18 to victims of the arson attack on Kyoto Animation Co., which killed 36 people and injured 32 others five years ago.

A ceremony began at 10:30 a.m., the same time the attack occurred, at the site where the company’s destroyed No. 1 studio once stood. Around 140 members of the bereaved families and company employees attended the event. 

Kyoto Animation President Hideaki Hatta addressed the gathering, recalling the “immense grief and anger” felt in the aftermath of the attack.

“There was considerable uncertainty and concern about whether we could continue operating the company,” he said.

Despite the immense challenges, Kyoto Animation, also known as Kyoani, has remained resilient, producing sequels to the popular series “Sound! Euphonium” for both theatrical release and TV broadcast.

Hatta expressed his gratitude to the staff who “inherited the spirit and skills” of the 36 victims and “magnificently brought these works to life.”

He vowed to continue creating anime, “carrying forward the aspirations left behind by our beloved colleagues.”

In a news conference following the ceremony, Hatta revealed that the studio spent the last five years completing works that had been in the early stages of production at the time of the attack. These works incorporated the basic character designs, plots and scripts created by the deceased staff.

“We hope to focus on creating new works in the next five to 10 years,” he said.

In January, the Kyoto District Court sentenced the arsonist, Shinji Aoba, to death, citing the “utter disregard for human life” and “extreme gravity” of his crimes. Aoba, 46, has appealed the verdict.

Aoba, who claimed that Kyoani had stolen his ideas for a novel, doused the animation studio with gasoline and set it on fire on July 18, 2019.

At the time, 70 people were working inside. The studio has denied Aoba's claim. 

(This article was written by Yumin Seki and Shintaro Kiko.)

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