Memorial Service To Be Held For Kyoani Victims
A memorial service is planned for the victims of the deadly arson attack at a studio of Kyoto Animation on Saturday, the first anniversary of the fire.
The studio, in the city of Kyoto, was set ablaze on July 18 last year. Of the 70 employees who were inside, 36 died and 33 were injured.
President Hatta Hideaki and other officials of the anime production company and the victims' families will attend the service at the site where the studio used to stand.
The company is asking fans to refrain from coming to the site to prevent coronavirus infections.
Kyoto Animation says it will release a 10-minute video to mark the anniversary on its YouTube channel at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, local time.
The suspect, Aoba Shinji, was arrested 10 months after the fire after being treated at a hospital for severe burns.
Prosecutors are waiting for the conclusion of psychiatric tests on Aoba to determine whether he is mentally competent to be held criminally responsible.
