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| Kyoto Animation studio fire: at least 23 dead after arson attack in Japan | |
| (31 minutes later) | |
| An arson attack on an anime studio in Japan has left at least 23 people dead and dozens injured. | An arson attack on an anime studio in Japan has left at least 23 people dead and dozens injured. |
| The perpetrator, who was also injured and has been taken into police custody, walked into the 1st Studio building of Kyoto Animation in Fujimi ward, Kyoto, at about 10.30am. He poured what is suspected to be petrol in multiple areas of the building before igniting it. | The perpetrator, who was also injured and has been taken into police custody, walked into the 1st Studio building of Kyoto Animation in Fujimi ward, Kyoto, at about 10.30am. He poured what is suspected to be petrol in multiple areas of the building before igniting it. |
| There were more than 70 people were in the building, which is Kyoto Animation’s main studio. | There were more than 70 people were in the building, which is Kyoto Animation’s main studio. |
| About 30 fire engines and ambulances went to the three-storey building after an explosion. Victims were taken to various hospitals in Kyoto. | About 30 fire engines and ambulances went to the three-storey building after an explosion. Victims were taken to various hospitals in Kyoto. |
| The suspect, identified only as a 41-year-old male, was reportedly taken to hospital before being arrested by police, who said he had admitted starting the fire. No motive for the arson attack has been reported, but Japan’s public broadcaster said he had shouted “drop dead” as he set the fires. | The suspect, identified only as a 41-year-old male, was reportedly taken to hospital before being arrested by police, who said he had admitted starting the fire. No motive for the arson attack has been reported, but Japan’s public broadcaster said he had shouted “drop dead” as he set the fires. |
| “A man threw liquid and set fire to it,” said a Kyoto prefectural police spokesman. | “A man threw liquid and set fire to it,” said a Kyoto prefectural police spokesman. |
| Emergency calls to the city fire department reported there had been an explosion on the ground floor, while later calls included people shouting: “Help us, the fire is climbing.” | Emergency calls to the city fire department reported there had been an explosion on the ground floor, while later calls included people shouting: “Help us, the fire is climbing.” |
| Images shot from a helicopter for NHK showed smoke billowing from the top floor and fire crews still battling the blaze of the badly damaged building hours after it had started. Fire crews said there might be more people left in the building. | Images shot from a helicopter for NHK showed smoke billowing from the top floor and fire crews still battling the blaze of the badly damaged building hours after it had started. Fire crews said there might be more people left in the building. |
| The fire department said the three floors of the building covered a total of 700 sq metres and that every storey had been damaged by the fire. | The fire department said the three floors of the building covered a total of 700 sq metres and that every storey had been damaged by the fire. |
| I’m heartbroken seeing what happened to Kyoto Animation. I don’t know what that sick person must have had against that studio to set it on fire, but my condolences to all the hard working employees. I wish you all a safe recovery... | I’m heartbroken seeing what happened to Kyoto Animation. I don’t know what that sick person must have had against that studio to set it on fire, but my condolences to all the hard working employees. I wish you all a safe recovery... |
| Kyoto Animation was founded in 1981 by Yoko Hatta, an anime producer. Her husband, Hideaki, serves as the company’s president. KyoAni has produced popular anime TV series and feature films and is well-known among anime aficionados around the world for its dedication to high-quality production techniques. Its catalogue includes A Silent Voice: The Movie, K-On!, The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya and Lucky Star. Its company headquarters are in Uji city. | Kyoto Animation was founded in 1981 by Yoko Hatta, an anime producer. Her husband, Hideaki, serves as the company’s president. KyoAni has produced popular anime TV series and feature films and is well-known among anime aficionados around the world for its dedication to high-quality production techniques. Its catalogue includes A Silent Voice: The Movie, K-On!, The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya and Lucky Star. Its company headquarters are in Uji city. |
| Kyoto Animation | |
| Kyoto Animation has a reputation for high-quality productions and treating its employees well in an industry infamous for harsh working conditions. | |
| Founded in 1981 by the accomplished producers Yoko Hatta and her husband Hideaki, the studio has produced numerous popular anime TV series and feature films, as well as publishing illustrated novels and manga. Hideaki Hatta has been president since 1985, while Yoko is vice-president. | |
| The Japanese anime industry is known for long hours and, for junior animators, very low pay. The growth of the genre’s popularity worldwide and increased demand for content from streaming platforms such as Netflix has put even more pressure on the studios at a time when Japan is experiencing a severe labour shortage. Most studios are booked out with projects up to two years ahead. | |
| Many anime artists are paid on a per-frame basis and tight deadlines make the work gruelling and long hours inevitable. Kyoto Animation, known as KyoAni, bucks the trend by making its animators full-time employees. This allows them to spend more time on each image and create high-quality anime. | |
| One of its best known franchises is K-On!, a comedy about a band formed by high-school girls. It started life as a manga comic book, before Kyoto Animation created two TV anime series that aired between 2009 and 2010. It was also broadcast overseas and released on DVD in the UK. Kyoto also produced a film directed by Naoko Yamada – which followed the girls’ graduation trip to London – that was released at the end of 2011 and grossed £12.2m (¥1.64bn) in Japan. The film featured a café based on the Troubadour in Earl’s Court, south-west London, which has become a popular destination for fans. | |
| A Silent Voice, also by Yamada, which dealt with childhood suicide, was hailed by critics and fans when it was released in 2016. Although overshadowed at the time by Your Name, whose director Makoto Shinkai lavished praise on it, it still took £29.4m ($33m) globally. | |
| No motive for the arson attack on KyoAni has yet emerged, but with at least 23 dead, it is one of the deadliest mass murders in postwar Japan. | |
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