Man sentenced to death for arson attack at Japanese anime studio that killed 36

A Japanese court on Thursday sentenced a man to death after finding him guilty of murder and other crimes for carrying out a shocking arson attack on an anime studio in Kyoto, Japan, that killed 36 people.

The Kyoto District Court said it found the defendant, Shinji Aoba, mentally capable to face punishment for the crimes and announced his sentence after a recess.

Aoba stormed into Kyoto Animation's No. 1 studio on July 18, 2019, and set it on fire in an attack that shocked Japan and drew an outpouring of grief from anime fans worldwide. Prosecutors said he was seeking revenge after thinking the company had stolen novels he submitted for a contest.