The Japan News by The Yomiuri Shimbun
KyoAni honors arson victims 1 year after deadly incident
KYOTO — A memorial ceremony for the victims of the fatal arson attack on Kyoto Animation Co. was held at the site of the company’s No. 1 studio in Fushimi Ward, Kyoto, on July 18, the anniversary of the attack.
Thirty-six people were killed and 33 were seriously or slightly injured in the conflagration.
The memorial service started at 10:30 a.m., the time of the attack.
“I miss you every day. I feel lonely every day. I can’t help but look for you,” said the wife of Futoshi Nishiya, who designed characters for the anime film “Koe no Katachi” (A Silent Voice).
“I’ll live the rest of my life with a sense of loss.”
Shinji Aoba, 42, is suspected of setting the fire after dousing the first floor of the studio building with gasoline. About 700 square meters of the three-story building burned to the ground. Board member Yoshiji Kigami, 61, and Yasuhiro Takemoto, the director of “Lucky Star,” were among the 36 fatalities. One person is still hospitalized.
The Kyoto prefectural police arrested Aoba on May 27 on suspicion of murder and other charges. Psychiatric tests are being conducted to determine whether Aoba is capable of bearing criminal responsibility.
The Kyoto Animation building was demolished in April. The fate of the now vacant plot is undecided.
Many people from Japan and abroad also paid tribute on social media.
“I would not be what I am now without KyoAni’s works. I’ll continue to support you,” read one of the tweets.
At around 10:30 a.m., a memorial video by Kyoto Animation was posted on video streaming service YouTube. At the same time, messages that included the hashtag #PrayforKyoani were being posted online by fans of the world-famous anime studio.
The president of Kyoto Animation
Co. said that the company will continue its work, pledging to move forward “even if only by an inch at a time” at a press conference held following the memorial service.
“Every day has been a struggle,” the 70-year-old president said about the past year during his first press conference since Oct. 18.
“I had to bolster my own spirits in order to be able to lead my staff.”
Some of those who were injured in the attack have returned to work, but a number of employees have not been able to recover from the psychological shock of the incident, according to Hatta.
“We take communication [with employees] seriously, and if supervisors notice anything [about their team members], advice from experts is sought,” the president said.
“Our production capabilities have greatly declined,” he added. “It may now take two years to produce something that could have been completed in only one, but we want to distribute work that we’ve refined with our own hands, no matter how much time it requires.”
When asked about KyoAni’s reconstruction, Hatta replied, “It does not simply mean building a new structure.” He added that his company has resumed recruitment for new employees and restarted its professional development program for aspiring animators.
“Our company has a tradition of senior employees teaching [newer ones] every detail from scratch,” Hatta said. “We will pass on our philosophy of producing work that involves each and every one of us.”