crime

Reports say suspect in deadly Kyoto arson attack had grudge

47 Comments
By Mari Yamaguchi

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47 Comments
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Why so much hate in the world?

Thinking of their families and friends in Japan at this terrible time.

From New Zealand

0 ( +0 / -0 )

The building has been reported as having met fire codes. Small office buildings are not required to have sprinklers.

Yeah, small office buildings are not required to have sprinklers. Anything over 4 stories high must have sprinkler systems and fire exits. However, this was not an office building. It was a manga art building that was storing paints, inks, solvents and large amounts of paper. It was also an overcrowded office with 70 people working there, which is over 20 people per floor in such a small building. The company owner was irresponsible, but he is not legally negligent due to the poorly drafted regulations.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

Earlier reports said that the arsonist did send threatening emails to KyoAni.

I wonder why they were not addressed, evaluated, or reported to police.

Along with over-crowded working conditions, no sprinklers, locked exits,

narrow stairs, KyoAni is not blameless.

RIP innocent people.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

Ionization smoke alarms respond faster to high energy fires, whereas photoelectric detectors respond better to low energy smoldering fires. The NFPA recommends using both smoke alarms in the home for the bestprotection.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Theft of ideas is a legitimate concern for creative people, but this awful deed is definitely not what one should do. Just awful an preventable! I am an illustrator and I often send a copy of whatever I create in the mail to myself and label the envelope. That way I get an official postmark that shows when I created the piece or idea. It will hold up in court in the US, but I am not sure about Japan. Of course in America one automatically receives a copyright upon creation of a piece of art, but the method above proves the date it was created. Keep the envelopes sealed. Protect your work, but don't be afraid to share it.

I can't imagine the pain of the families of the victims. RIP

1 ( +1 / -0 )

A dangerous nutter for sure.

He really needed serious mental health treatment. And now 34 people are dead.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Building fire codes are NOT designed to deal with intentional arson. I doubt sprinklers would have made too much difference in this case.

Why is everybody's first reaction to news like this to run to the government to impose more rules on society?

While certainly tragic, we have to recognize that in a population of 125 million, there will be X number of people who snap in any given year. We can spend money until we are broke and never reduce this to zero.

RIP poor innocent workers

0 ( +2 / -2 )

@yoshi - It's really a rare and horrible incident in the Japanese history of crimes. 

You are kidding, aren't you? There was a purposely lit fire in a hostel a few months ago that killed a dozen people. There was that nutter that went on a stabbing spree in the old people's home last year killing over twenty people. That's a couple of recent ones off the top of my head. There was that nutter in Akihabara a few years ago and another purposely lit fire in Shinjuku maybe ten years ago that killed 20 odd people. Mass-murder is not rare in Japan, especially when you add all the family murders. Stop kidding yourself!

0 ( +3 / -3 )

The article in The Japan Times today does not say the door was locked, it says the victims were unable to open the door.

exactly.

And, to say that this crime was a fire code violation is to miss the whole point. It was, as the expert in the article is quoted "suicidal terrorism". Fire codes would not have prevented this.

I don't know what could have prevented this. Maybe something very basic in society, such as showing concern for strangers? I don't know. There sure have been a lot of these cases lately.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

How about external exits, 30+ people dead because they had no way to exit. All it takes is a building rule. I'm so suprised that a country prone to earthquakes and fires still persists in building death traps,

4 ( +4 / -0 )

Bullying starts from elementary schools and continues to working places.

It's one cause for suicide and people harboring grudges throughtout their lives.

-2 ( +1 / -3 )

according to Japan Times, the door to the roof was locked, thats why there were so many victims on the stairs to it.

2 ( +3 / -1 )

Sprinklers wouldn't have worked this time anyway because it was an intense gasoline fire and sprinkler systems aren't designed for such explosive fires.

1 ( +3 / -2 )

The building has been reported as having met fire codes. Small office buildings are not required to have sprinklers.

How about smoke detectors and alarms? They are life savers when fires breaks out. My not too big house has two and they are there by law.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Japan has the most beds in mental health wards and hospitals per capita in the world. I won't claim this is a good or bad thing, but it means that you cannot claim nothing is done about mental health.

As for the building, witnesses say they heard two or three explosions. The building will have instantly filled with toxic black smoke. Fire regs don't address the prospect of firebombing. Many homes, my own included, could not be guaranteed safe in that situation. The perp burning himself suggests even he underestimated how quickly the fire would take off.

3 ( +4 / -1 )

Also sadly, these days doors need to be locked (offices, small shops etc) and opened via an intercom system, 

According to an article from another site, due to threats they received, the studio does have a security system which requires a keycard to unlock the front door at the entry to the studio. However, it was turned off that day because they were expecting groups of visitors and they thought it would be more convenient to switch off the system.

4 ( +4 / -0 )

Also sadly, these days doors need to be locked (offices, small shops etc) and opened via an intercom system,

1 ( +1 / -0 )

"Small office buildings are not required to have sprinklers." 33 dead 30 more injured... maybe its time to rethink this. If 70 people can work in a "small" building with ZERO fire protection its might not be the best law/rule to not have.

4 ( +5 / -1 )

Sadly, Do the, I think so as well. Just because as a smaller building sprinklers were not required completely misses having no exits/floor. Luckily, a few found a bathroom window on an unreported floor level. The rest...out of luck and out of time.

2 ( +3 / -1 )

What a terrible, senseless tragedy. So many lives lost thanks to a lunatic whose madness led them to do very evil acts. Whatever his cause, it wasn't worth doing this to a bunch of people who didn't deserve this. No one does. 

To put this in perspective for those who aren't familiar with the company or have a distorted view of anime, Kyoto Animation, or "Kyoani" was known for treating its staff decently, well above the industry standard. Their productions are generally high quality and idealistic, with some summarized as "cute girls doing cute things," such as high schoolers starting a band, or "slice of life". This was a studio that many people looked up to, that created wholesome and funny entertainment which made people happy.

5 ( +5 / -0 )

An ex-con with mental health issues, plus an overcrowded workplace, plus no fire safety standards has resulted in the deaths of more than 30 people. It’s all well and good to focus all the blame on loon who lit the fire, but most of the deaths are due to poor building and workplace fire safety standards.

8 ( +8 / -0 )

Japan doesn’t need the death penalty as much as a change in life style which creates mental problems. You can say the same with the US or any other money or being number one obsessed culture. These needless killings won’t stop anytime soon.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

NorthernlifeToday  07:48 am JST

@LB315 yeah its only 30000 per year that are killed by guns in the US

Four things:

(a) Around half of those 30,000 are suicides -- which, tragically, probably would have been carried out by some other means if a gun were not present.

(b) Of the roughly 15,000 rest of them, the vast majority involve other simultaneous illegal activity, such as drug dealing. So, it's not just a matter of the gun being there.

(c) Nobody is murdered "by guns." They are murdered by people. And the murderers don't only use guns. Most of the worst serial killers in U.S. history did not use guns to murder their victims.

(d) LB315's comment (the one to which Northernlife is responding) has been removed, presumably for being off-topic.

But why is Northernlife's comment being allowed to stay? It is no less off-topic than LB315's is.

Is it because some off-topic posts are allowed to stay, if they reflect the views of the editors? Just asking.

0 ( +5 / -5 )

Like I said, he is no different than any other mass murderer around the world.

They always have a grudge don't they.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

The man told police that he set the fire because he thought "(Kyoto Animation) stole his novels," according to Japanese media. It was unclear if he had contacted the studio earlier.

His what novels? His light novels he probably has a company to stand up for him. If it is his web novels, he should feel honored.

-3 ( +0 / -3 )

And people wonder why Japan has the death penalty. Think about this case and you will find the answer.

I do often wonder why, but this arson horror only goes to show that it can be nothing more than pure revenge since, logically, a deterrent doesn't work after the horse has bolted. The answer can rather be found in London Zoo where once I stared up into an out-sized mirror placed beside the big primate pen and then as I looked down I saw the sign beneath: "THE MOST DANGEROUS ANIMAL IN THE WORLD!" Society has to find ways and means to protect itself from violent, deranged individuals, but it cannot prevent the sudden homicidal outbursts of modern-day berserkers .

5 ( +5 / -0 )

Really?! A guy that sets fire to a building with a lot of people inside has a grudge? That's a shocker.

He could have done it for any number of reasons, so your belligerence is not needed.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

Very tragic story that could have had a different ending if there were stricter and more critically thought out fire prevention/ fire safety regulations and a greater emphasis on mental health in the society. These things plague other countries as well but I can’t help but think: “were there no sprinklers?!” “Why do they need to go upstairs to the roof? Don’t people learn that heat rises?!” Why isn’t there an escape exit on every floor?!”.

Maybe a lot is being excluded from the reports but 30+ people are dead.

I hope people question the safety of their homes and workplaces and actively make changes.

1 ( +3 / -2 )

I posted yesterday that Shinji Aoba most probably had been "treated" for mental illness or was in the middle of "treatment" because the majority of such cases are. And it turns out to be true:

TOKYO (Reuters) - The man suspected of torching an animation studio and killing 33 people in Japan’s worst mass killing in two decades had been convicted for robbery and treated for mental illness, public broadcaster NHK said.

Psychology and psychiatry are useless in situations like this. All they can do is prescribe drugs. They cannot cure anything because basically, they haven't a clue what they are doing.

0 ( +3 / -3 )

And people wonder why Japan has the death penalty.

And how did it work in this case? Prevented nothing. Spend the money on better mental health services and you may prevent similar incidents.

4 ( +5 / -1 )

Many people were found dead at the door leading to the roof, but failed to escape to the roof? Then you’d think that the door must have been locked, as has happened so often in the past. However, nobody mentions this. Japanese news mentioned that the fire brigade could open this door from the outside. What good is that going to do in an emergency. Odd reporting.

1 ( +4 / -3 )

Tragic.

RIP

2 ( +2 / -0 )

And people wonder why Japan has the death penalty. Think about this case and you will find the answer.

-5 ( +4 / -9 )

@Northernlife

Sad you completely missed the point.

-7 ( +2 / -9 )

Mental health matters. There's more not just in Japan but globally that are powder kegs due to not being able to handle what is not in their control i.e. how one reacts to things outside of them.

4 ( +5 / -1 )

The building has been reported as having met fire codes. Small office buildings are not required to have sprinklers.

6 ( +8 / -2 )

@Cricky: Yeah, there is no mention in the news if the building was up to fire code. Was the building ever inspected by the Fire Dept.?

6 ( +9 / -3 )

Horrendous crime, why were their no fire escapes, sprinklers.? For years I pointed out at my work the designated fire escape window has bars stopping any escape. Building codes are nonexistent.

14 ( +16 / -2 )

It's really a rare and horrible incident in the Japanese history of crimes. I can't imagine the sadness and difficulty of the families of the victims. I'll pray for the happiness in the heaven of the 33 innocent people.

4 ( +9 / -5 )

Really?! A guy that sets fire to a building with a lot of people inside has a grudge? That's a shocker.

-4 ( +6 / -10 )

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