Kyoto Animation Arson Attack Trial

The Osaka High Court announced on January 28 that Shinji Aoba — the defendant who was sentenced in January 2024 for the Kyoto Animation arson attack — withdrew his appeal of the guilty verdict on January 27, closing the case and bringing the trial to an end, according to the NHK. Aoba's defense team initially appealed the sentencing on January 26 last year, a day after the initial ruling.The Kyoto District Court sentenced Aoba to the death penalty following the guilty verdict on January 25, 2024 for the murder of 36 employees — who included The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya director Yasuhiro Takemoto, animator Yoshiji Kigami, chief animation director on the Free!