Photo/Illutration Shinji Aoba in Uji, Kyoto Prefecture, on July 16, 2019, two days before the arson attack on a Kyoto Animation Co. studio (Provided by a resident)

Shinji Aoba, the convicted mass murderer sentenced to death for setting a fire at a Kyoto Animation Co. studio that killed 36 people, has withdrawn his appeal, The Asahi Shimbun learned on Jan. 28.

The Kyoto District Court in January 2024 ruled that Aoba, now 46, was fully responsible for his criminal actions and sentenced him to death as prosecutors had sought.

The defense appealed the ruling to the Osaka High Court, again saying Aoba was mentally incompetent and citing the “unconstitutionality” of the death penalty.

But the defendant overruled his attorneys and submitted the withdrawal form on Jan. 27, sources said.

In an interview with The Asahi Shimbun after he was sentenced to hang, Aoba said he was appealing the ruling just to buy time to speak out more about his crime.

According to the Kyoto District Court’s ruling, Aoba in July 2019 entered the first floor of Kyoto Animation’s studio in Kyoto city and doused the entrance and employees with gasoline that he had prepared in advance.

He then set the fire that trapped employees inside and burned down the three-story studio, the ruling said.

Aoba was convicted of murdering 36 people and attempting to murder 34 others. He was also severely burned in the fire.

He had claimed that Kyoto Animation, called Kyoani for short, had stolen his work.

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