O The same court had on Thursday sentenced Shinji Aoba to death for one of the crimes with the most victims in the archipelago in recent decades and which triggered a wave of indignation in Japan and abroad.
Lawyers for the 45-year-old man, found guilty of five charges, including murder, attempted murder and arson, have appealed the sentence, a court spokesman told news agency France-Presse (AFP).
The fatal victims were mostly young employees of the studio, nicknamed KyoAni. More than 30 people were injured.
According to AFP, Shinji Aoba wanted revenge on KyoAni because he was convinced that the company had stolen an idea for a script from him. The allegation was rejected by the studio and described by prosecutors as delusion.
Defense lawyers argued that the man did not have “the ability to distinguish between right and wrong” due to psychiatric disorders. However, for the Public Prosecutor’s Office, the accused had “premeditated the act with strong murderous intent and was perfectly aware of the dangers involved” when using gasoline.
Like the United States, Japan is one of the few democratic countries to apply the death penalty, carried out by hanging.
Japanese public opinion continues to be overwhelmingly in favor of capital punishment, despite criticism from the international community.
The last execution in the country, where more than 100 convicts are on death row, dates from 2022.
Read Also: Author of fire that killed 36 at studio in Japan sentenced to death
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Source: https://www.noticiasaominuto.com/mundo/2488643/autor-de-incendio-em-estudio-no-japao-recorre-da-pena-de-morte
