The attack and its victims
On July 18, 2019, a fire was deliberately set at Kyoto Animation's Studio 1 in Kyoto. Thirty-six people died and dozens of others were injured. The victims included artists, directors and other employees whose work had contributed to productions known internationally.
Later reporting on the Osaka High Court proceedings stated that 70 people were inside the studio at the time, with 36 killed and 32 injured. Crime by Region does not reproduce the physical details of the deaths or injuries because they are not necessary to understand the criminal case.
Investigation and prosecution
Shinji Aoba was identified as the attacker and was himself seriously injured. After medical treatment and investigation, prosecutors brought charges including murder and arson. A major issue at trial was criminal responsibility: the defense argued that his mental condition affected his culpability, while prosecutors maintained that he was responsible for his actions.
In January 2024, the Kyoto District Court found Aoba fully criminally responsible despite recognizing that he had suffered from a delusional disorder. The court convicted him and imposed the death penalty.
The appeal and its withdrawal
Aoba appealed the district court judgment in February 2024. In January 2025, however, he personally submitted a withdrawal of the appeal. His defense lawyers challenged that withdrawal, arguing that it should not make the death sentence final if his decision-making capacity was impaired.
On March 17, 2026, the Osaka High Court rejected the defense challenge and held that the withdrawal was valid. The court concluded that Aoba understood the significance of abandoning the appeal and that his delusional disorder had not deprived him of the capacity to make that procedural decision.
The March 2026 objection
The March 17 ruling did not end the procedural dispute immediately. On March 23, 2026, Aoba's lawyers filed an objection to the Osaka High Court decision that had upheld the withdrawal and maintained the finality of the death sentence.
No reliable later source located for this August 2026 review reported that the underlying conviction or death sentence had been overturned. The most accurate current description is therefore that the conviction remains adjudicated and the death sentence remains in force, while a collateral challenge concerning the validity of the appeal withdrawal was still part of the procedural history.
Responsibility and motive
The district court's responsibility finding is important because it separates evidence about mental illness from legal responsibility. The judgment did not treat the existence of a psychiatric condition as automatically eliminating criminal responsibility.
Public reporting has described grievances Aoba expressed toward Kyoto Animation, but a defendant's claims or beliefs are not evidence that those grievances were objectively true. This archive records them only as part of the prosecution's account of motive and does not validate them.
Timeline
July 18, 2019: the attack occurs at Kyoto Animation Studio 1; 36 people are killed.
January 25, 2024: the Kyoto District Court convicts Shinji Aoba and sentences him to death.
February 2024: an appeal is filed.
January 27, 2025: Aoba submits a withdrawal of the appeal.
March 17, 2026: the Osaka High Court rules that the withdrawal was valid.
March 23, 2026: defense lawyers file an objection to that ruling.
Current status
Shinji Aoba remains convicted of the Kyoto Animation arson murders and subject to the death sentence imposed by the Kyoto District Court. The Osaka High Court held in March 2026 that his withdrawal of the appeal was valid. Defense counsel then objected to that decision. This page therefore classifies the criminal case as solved / adjudicated while expressly preserving the unresolved procedural challenge over the appeal withdrawal.