On July 18, 2019, the "Kyoto Animation Arson Attack", which sent shockwaves through Japanese society and the global anime community, involved suspect Shinji Aoba. After years of him undergoing treatment, the tragic incident, which resulted in 36 deaths and 32 injuries, is now undergoing its first public trial at the Kyoto District Court on September 5, 2023.

The suspect, Shinji Aoba, has admitted to his actions, stating, "I did what I did, and I'm not denying it, but I didn't expect it would result in so many deaths. I feel like I went too far (私がしたことに間違いありません。こんなにたくさんの人が亡くなると思っていなかった。やり過ぎたと思っています)."

The defense argues that at the time of the incident, the defendant was in a state of diminished capacity and mental impairment, unable to distinguish right from wrong. Therefore, even if found guilty, they are seeking a reduced sentence on the grounds of mental health issues.

As for the motive behind the suspect Shinji Aoba's crime, he stated that when he was in his early thirties, he became unemployed due to interpersonal issues. During this period, he was inspired by Kyoto Animation's works and aspired to become a novelist. However, despite numerous attempts, he was unable to write anything he was satisfied with. The process of repeatedly writing, deleting, and rewriting gradually led him to despair, ultimately leading to him committing a convenience store robbery and serving time in prison.

Nevertheless, he didn't give up on his dream of becoming a novelist. He continued to conceptualize his stories, and in the investigation report before his release from prison, he stated that his future goal was to "debut as a novelist".

After his release, he completed his first work, but it did not win in the Kyoto Animation Awards. He also submitted his work to another novelist recruitment website but received no response. Later, during the investigation, he persistently claimed that Kyoto Animation had plagiarized his novel.

Three days before the incident, on July 15, 2019, Shinji Aoba believed that his difficult life was Kyoto Animation's fault and committed the crime as an act of revenge.

According to the outline of the trial schedule presented to the bereaved families at the end of last month, a total of 32 dates have been scheduled, including reserve dates.