At Kyoto Animation, Women Were Central. When It Burned, They Paid the Price. - The New York Times

KYOTO, Japan — He can’t get the women out of his mind.

A day after an apparent arson killed 33 people at an animation studio in the Japanese city of Kyoto, a neighbor, the 81-year-old Ken Okumura, remembered seeing several women jump from the building’s second floor. They were so badly burned that blood was coming from their noses, and all of their clothes but their underwear were gone.

“Just horrible,” Mr. Okumura said on Friday, as the smell of burning still hung in the humid air.

Much was still unknown about the Thursday fire, which appeared to be Japan’s worst mass killing in decades. The police identified Shinji Aoba, 41, as a suspect in the case, based on statements they said he made when he was apprehended. They said Mr. Aoba was being treated for severe burns and had not been arrested.

Japanese news reports, citing unnamed police sources, said the suspect had told the police that he started the fire because he believed the studio, Kyoto Animation, “stole a novel” from him.

NHK, the public broadcaster, reported that Mr. Aoba had served time in prison for robbery and that he was being treated for an unspecified mental illness. The report, which cited an unidentified source, said he lived in the city of Saitama, near Tokyo.

As of Friday, none of the names of the 33 people killed in the fire had been released. What was known was that almost two-thirds of them — 20 — were women.

That appears to reflect a trend in Japan’s animation industry, as well as the hiring practices at Kyoto Animation. There are about twice as many women as men among working animators in their 20s, according to Daisuke Okeda, a lawyer and adviser to the Japan Animation Creators Association.

Image

Mourning the fire’s victims on Friday. Thirty-three people were killed.CreditJae C. Hong/Associated Press

Male animators still lead the industry, and they outnumber women among animators over 35, Mr. Okeda said. But Kyoto Animation — known as KyoAni to its fans — is known for employing more women, particularly younger women.

More than half of the workers in the burned building were women, based on figures released by the Kyoto fire officials about the dead as well as the dozens of injured.

On Friday, a man distraught about his 21-year-old granddaughter, who worked at Kyoto Animation, told NHK that he could not find her name on lists of people taken to local hospitals.

“She was my pride,” the man, Kazuo Okada, 69, said of his granddaughter, Megumu Ohno. “Her name started appearing on the screens of anime movies. I was so happy to see that. I was proud of her. I want to see her face soon.”

Kyoto Animation was co-founded by Yoko Hatta and her husband, Hideaki Hatta, in 1981, and went on to produce high-quality, meticulously detailed works. They included “The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya,” a science fiction series based at a high school, and “Lucky Star,” whose intelligent female protagonist is distracted from her studies by anime and video games.

Kyoto Animation also played a role in the careers of two star women directors of television anime, said Patrick W. Galbraith, a lecturer at Senshu University who has written extensively about the art form. “That’s significant,” he said.

Naoko Yamada directed the series “K-On!” for Kyoto Animation, and Hiroko Utsumi directed “Free!” a series about a boys’ swimming team. “Free!” stood out in the anime world, often known for being preoccupied with the female form, because it focused on the male body instead.

Image

Flowers at the site of the fire on Friday.CreditKim Kyung-Hoon/Reuters

Ms. Utsumi has since moved to another anime studio, Mappa. According to Nikkan Sports, a daily newspaper, Ms. Yamada was not hurt in the fire.

Kyoto Animation is also unusual among anime studios in that it pays its workers salaries, rather than freelance fees. Japan’s animation industry has been accused of exploiting workers, who work long hours for low wages.

Ironically, KyoAni’s system may have exposed its workers to greater risk by concentrating so many of them in one studio. “It’s a rare system in the industry,” Mr. Okeda said.

The arsonist is believed to have purchased about 10 gallons of petroleum at a gas station near the studio, about half an hour before starting the fire. According to police reports, the man brought it to the studio in two cans, on a hand cart, then poured it out on the building’s first floor and ignited it with a lighter.

“We saw yesterday that anyone can cause mass killings and tremendous damage with cheap and easy tools anyone can obtain in daily life,” said Daiju Wada, a lecturer on security at Seiwa University in Chiba, Japan, and a security consultant. “It’s difficult not to sell gasoline to people.”

Hatsumi Yamashita, 74, who teaches dance at a nearby community center where firefighters treated some of the injured in a garage, remembered seeing one woman sitting on a staircase, wearing what Ms. Yamashita first thought was a jet-black outfit. “But when she laid down on the floor, I saw she was so burned that she was almost naked,” she said.

“I could never forget this young woman,” Ms. Yamashita said.

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2019-07-19 10:33:10Z
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At Kyoto Animation, Women Were Central. When It Burned, They Paid the Price. - The New York Times

KYOTO, Japan — He can’t get the women out of his mind.

A day after an apparent arson killed 33 people at an animation studio in the Japanese city of Kyoto, a neighbor, the 81-year-old Ken Okumura, remembered seeing several women jump from the building’s second floor. They were so badly burned that blood was coming from their noses, and all of their clothes but their underwear were gone.

“Just horrible,” Mr. Okumura said on Friday, as the smell of burning still hung in the humid air.

Much was still unknown about the Thursday fire, which appeared to be Japan’s worst mass killing in decades. The police identified Shinji Aoba, 41, as a suspect in the case, based on statements they said he made when he was apprehended. They said Mr. Aoba was being treated for severe burns and had not been arrested.

Japanese news reports, citing unnamed police sources, said the suspect had told the police that he started the fire because he believed the studio, Kyoto Animation, “stole a novel” from him.

NHK, the public broadcaster, reported that Mr. Aoba had served time in prison for robbery and that he was being treated for an unspecified mental illness. The report, which cited an unidentified source, said he lived in the city of Saitama, near Tokyo.

As of Friday, none of the names of the 33 people killed in the fire had been released. What was known was that almost two-thirds of them — 20 — were women.

That appears to reflect a trend in Japan’s animation industry, as well as the hiring practices at Kyoto Animation. There are about twice as many women as men among working animators in their 20s, according to Daisuke Okeda, a lawyer and adviser to the Japan Animation Creators Association.

Image

Mourning the fire’s victims on Friday. Thirty-three people were killed.CreditJae C. Hong/Associated Press

Male animators still lead the industry, and they outnumber women among animators over 35, Mr. Okeda said. But Kyoto Animation — known as KyoAni to its fans — is known for employing more women, particularly younger women.

More than half of the workers in the burned building were women, based on figures released by the Kyoto fire officials about the dead as well as the dozens of injured.

On Friday, a man distraught about his 21-year-old granddaughter, who worked at Kyoto Animation, told NHK that he could not find her name on lists of people taken to local hospitals.

“She was my pride,” the man, Kazuo Okada, 69, said of his granddaughter, Megumu Ohno. “Her name started appearing on the screens of anime movies. I was so happy to see that. I was proud of her. I want to see her face soon.”

Kyoto Animation was co-founded by Yoko Hatta and her husband, Hideaki Hatta, in 1981, and went on to produce high-quality, meticulously detailed works. They included “The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya,” a science fiction series based at a high school, and “Lucky Star,” whose intelligent female protagonist is distracted from her studies by anime and video games.

Kyoto Animation also played a role in the careers of two star women directors of television anime, said Patrick W. Galbraith, a lecturer at Senshu University who has written extensively about the art form. “That’s significant,” he said.

Naoko Yamada directed the series “K-On!” for Kyoto Animation, and Hiroko Utsumi directed “Free!” a series about a boys’ swimming team. “Free!” stood out in the anime world, often known for being preoccupied with the female form, because it focused on the male body instead.

Image

Flowers at the site of the fire on Friday.CreditKim Kyung-Hoon/Reuters

Ms. Utsumi has since moved to another anime studio, Mappa. According to Nikkan Sports, a daily newspaper, Ms. Yamada was not hurt in the fire.

Kyoto Animation is also unusual among anime studios in that it pays its workers salaries, rather than freelance fees. Japan’s animation industry has been accused of exploiting workers, who work long hours for low wages.

Ironically, KyoAni’s system may have exposed its workers to greater risk by concentrating so many of them in one studio. “It’s a rare system in the industry,” Mr. Okeda said.

The arsonist is believed to have purchased about 10 gallons of petroleum at a gas station near the studio, about half an hour before starting the fire. According to police reports, the man brought it to the studio in two cans, on a hand cart, then poured it out on the building’s first floor and ignited it with a lighter.

“We saw yesterday that anyone can cause mass killings and tremendous damage with cheap and easy tools anyone can obtain in daily life,” said Daiju Wada, a lecturer on security at Seiwa University in Chiba, Japan, and a security consultant. “It’s difficult not to sell gasoline to people.”

Hatsumi Yamashita, 74, who teaches dance at a nearby community center where firefighters treated some of the injured in a garage, remembered seeing one woman sitting on a staircase, wearing what Ms. Yamashita first thought was a jet-black outfit. “But when she laid down on the floor, I saw she was so burned that she was almost naked,” she said.

“I could never forget this young woman,” Ms. Yamashita said.

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2019-07-19 09:58:21Z
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At Kyoto Animation, Women Were Central. When It Burned, They Paid the Price. - The New York Times

KYOTO, Japan — He can’t get the women out of his mind.

A day after an apparent arson killed 33 people at an animation studio in the Japanese city of Kyoto, a neighbor, the 81-year-old Ken Okumura, remembered seeing several women jump from the building’s second floor. They were so badly burned that blood was coming from their noses, and all of their clothes but their underwear were gone.

“Just horrible,” Mr. Okumura said on Friday, as the smell of burning still hung in the humid air.

Much was still unknown about the Thursday fire, which appeared to be Japan’s worst mass killing in decades. The police identified Shinji Aoba, 41, as a suspect in the case, based on statements they said he made when he was apprehended. They said Mr. Aoba was being treated for severe burns and had not been arrested.

Japanese news reports, citing unnamed police sources, said the suspect had told the police that he started the fire because he believed the studio, Kyoto Animation, “stole a novel” from him.

NHK, the public broadcaster, reported that Mr. Aoba had served time in prison for robbery and that he was being treated for an unspecified mental illness. The report, which cited an unidentified source, said he lived in the city of Saitama, near Tokyo.

As of Friday, none of the names of the 33 people killed in the fire had been released. What was known was that almost two-thirds of them — 20 — were women.

That appears to reflect a trend in Japan’s animation industry, as well as the hiring practices at Kyoto Animation. There are about twice as many women as men among working animators in their 20s, according to Daisuke Okeda, a lawyer and adviser to the Japan Animation Creators Association.

Image

Mourning the fire’s victims on Friday. Thirty-three people were killed.CreditJae C. Hong/Associated Press

Male animators still lead the industry, and they outnumber women among animators over 35, Mr. Okeda said. But Kyoto Animation — known as KyoAni to its fans — is known for employing more women, particularly younger women.

More than half of the workers in the burned building were women, based on figures released by the Kyoto fire officials about the dead as well as the dozens of injured.

On Friday, a man distraught about his 21-year-old granddaughter, who worked at Kyoto Animation, told NHK that he could not find her name on lists of people taken to local hospitals.

“She was my pride,” the man, Kazuo Okada, 69, said of his granddaughter, Megumu Ohno. “Her name started appearing on the screens of anime movies. I was so happy to see that. I was proud of her. I want to see her face soon.”

Kyoto Animation was co-founded by Yoko Hatta and her husband, Hideaki Hatta, in 1981, and went on to produce high-quality, meticulously detailed works. They included “The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya,” a science fiction series based at a high school, and “Lucky Star,” whose intelligent female protagonist is distracted from her studies by anime and video games.

Kyoto Animation also played a role in the careers of two star women directors of television anime, said Patrick W. Galbraith, a lecturer at Senshu University who has written extensively about the art form. “That’s significant,” he said.

Naoko Yamada directed the series “K-On!” for Kyoto Animation, and Hiroko Utsumi directed “Free!” a series about a boys’ swimming team. “Free!” stood out in the anime world, often known for being preoccupied with the female form, because it focused on the male body instead.

Image

Flowers at the site of the fire on Friday.CreditKim Kyung-Hoon/Reuters

Ms. Utsumi has since moved to another anime studio, Mappa. According to Nikkan Sports, a daily newspaper, Ms. Yamada was not hurt in the fire.

Kyoto Animation is also unusual among anime studios in that it pays its workers salaries, rather than freelance fees. Japan’s animation industry has been accused of exploiting workers, who work long hours for low wages.

Ironically, KyoAni’s system may have exposed its workers to greater risk by concentrating so many of them in one studio. “It’s a rare system in the industry,” Mr. Okeda said.

The arsonist is believed to have purchased about 10 gallons of petroleum at a gas station near the studio, about half an hour before starting the fire. According to police reports, the man brought it to the studio in two cans, on a hand cart, then poured it out on the building’s first floor and ignited it with a lighter.

“We saw yesterday that anyone can cause mass killings and tremendous damage with cheap and easy tools anyone can obtain in daily life,” said Daiju Wada, a lecturer on security at Seiwa University in Chiba, Japan, and a security consultant. “It’s difficult not to sell gasoline to people.”

Hatsumi Yamashita, 74, who teaches dance at a nearby community center where firefighters treated some of the injured in a garage, remembered seeing one woman sitting on a staircase, wearing what Ms. Yamashita first thought was a jet-black outfit. “But when she laid down on the floor, I saw she was so burned that she was almost naked,” she said.

“I could never forget this young woman,” Ms. Yamashita said.

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https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/19/world/asia/japan-fire-kyoto-animation.html

2019-07-19 09:46:48Z
52780334975248

South Korean man sets himself on fire outside Japanese embassy in Seoul - CNN

According to a statement from the local Jongno Fire Station, "it is presumed that the man, using 20 liters of gasoline and butane gas in the car, tried to set himself on fire."

The incident occurred in the early hours of Friday morning, at 3:24 a.m. The man succumbed to his injuries in hospital several hours later, after suffering extensive second-degree burns to his chest, arm and face.

The reason for the incident has not been revealed.

It comes amid heightened tensions between Japan and South Korea, over issues including the history of colonial war during World War II and an expanding trade dispute over supplies for microprocessor chips and other high-tech goods which could threaten the global supply.

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https://www.cnn.com/2019/07/19/asia/south-korea-japan-embassy-fire-intl-hnk/index.html

2019-07-19 08:46:00Z
52780334791604

South Korean man sets himself on fire outside Japanese embassy in Seoul - CNN

According to a statement from the local Jongno Fire Station, "it is presumed that the man, using 20 liters of gasoline and butane gas in the car, tried to set himself on fire."

The incident occurred in the early hours of Friday morning, at 3:24 a.m. The man succumbed to his injuries in hospital several hours later, after suffering extensive second-degree burns to his chest, arm and face.

The reason for the incident has not been revealed.

It comes amid heightened tensions between Japan and South Korea, over issues including the history of colonial war during World War II and an expanding trade dispute over supplies for microprocessor chips and other high-tech goods which could threaten the global supply.

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https://www.cnn.com/2019/07/19/asia/south-korea-japan-embassy-fire-intl-hnk/index.html

2019-07-19 08:38:00Z
52780334791604

Bodies found piled on staircase as Japan's worst mass killing in decades claims 33 lives - CNN

The suspected arson attack on Kyoto Animation on Thursday has left anime fans world-over grieving the loss of life and a studio, which claimed to put its employees first and was a major force in the industry.

Twelve men, 20 women and another individual whose gender was unknown died in the blaze and 35 were injured.

After dousing flames, firefighters entered the building Thursday morning and found 20 bodies lying on on the staircase leading to the roof exit. Another team found 11 bodies on the second floor of the building and two on the ground floor.

Police said that 74 people were inside the building, in Kyoto's Fushimi-ku district, at the time of the blaze, including employees of the company.

The fire spread so rapidly that many inside did not have time to escape, Kyoto Prefectural police told CNN. Several people jumped out of the second and third floor windows and suffered bone fractures.

Police said that as they apprehended the 41-year-old suspect he spoke about his work being plagiarized, but cautioned that they need to wait until the suspect is formally interviewed before confirming a motive. Officers have so far been unable to question the suspect, who the police have not yet named, owing to the severe burns he sustained during the attack.

The attack was the worst mass killing in the country since a 2001 arson attack on a building in Tokyo's Kabukicho district, which killed 44 people. The death toll from Thursday's fire was greater than the Tokyo sarin gas attack on a subway in 1995, which killed 13.

Anime fans and mourners Friday began visiting the building and laid flowers in tribute to those who had lost their lives.

"I was so encouraged by the KyoAni works," said one young fan, calling the studio by its popular name. "I have no words to say in sorrow."

On Thursday, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe added his voice to the outpouring of grief on Twitter, saying that he was left speechless at the "gruesomeness of the crime," and offered condolences to victims.

Explosion-like sound

The fire started at Kyoto Animation's 1st Studio at 10:30 a.m. local time on Thursday (9:30 p.m. ET) after the suspect began pouring what appeared to be gasoline on the first floor of the studio before setting it alight.

Police said a local resident reported hearing an explosion-like sound coming from the building around the time the fire broke out.

A witness told police the suspect shouted "Die" as he spilled the unidentified liquid. A backpack containing several knives and two canisters of the gasoline-like liquid were discovered near the site, according to Kyoto police.

As flames tore through the building an employee ran to report the fire. On his return, he saw the suspect lying on the ground about 100 meters away from the studio, police told CNN.

The suspect, who suffered heavy burns to his face, legs, arms and torso, asked officers who had arrived to apprehend him "are you going to arrest me?"

Footage from the scene Thursday showed thick smoke billowing out of the building, which is located in a residential area several kilometers south of Kyoto Station. It took four hours for firefighters to bring the blaze under control.

Fire department officials confirmed that the building abided by fire prevention regulations.

'A terrible loss for both humanity and art'

Kyoto Animation's CEO Hideaki Yata told reporters the company had received death threats by mail, which had been sent to the police, and expressed sorrow that workers in the industry had been targeted.

"They are the people who carry the Japan's animation industry on their shoulders. I can't bear to accept the fact they are being hurt or losing their lives," he said.

Founded in 1981, Kyoto Animation -- known as KyoAni -- has made a name for itself producing high quality animations that draw on both the mystical and the mundane.

Among Japan's better-known studios, its popular works include "Free!," manga series "K-On!," the anime TV adaptation of "the Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya" and "Violet Evergarden," which Netflix picked up in 2018.

On its website, the company said its philosophy included promoting a "humanitarian" corporate culture and "promoting the growth of people."

Writing for CNN, Susan Napier, Goldthwaite Professor of Rhetoric and Japanese Studies at Tufts University, said KyoAni had "developed a reputation for being a unique workplace" by employing writers on a salaried basis and "offering the money and security that allowed them to create works of high quality."

The studio also operated a school for animators.

Napier said the destruction was "a significant loss, both in terms of the terrific tragedy of human life and the lost creative work that may have been stored in the studio over its almost 40-year existence."

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2019-07-19 08:11:00Z
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Bodies found piled on staircase as Japan's worst mass killing in decades claims 33 lives - CNN

The suspected arson attack on Kyoto Animation on Thursday has left anime fans world-over grieving the loss of life and a studio, which claimed to put its employees first and was a major force in the industry.

Twelve men, 20 women and another individual whose gender was unknown died in the blaze and 35 were injured.

After dousing flames, firefighters entered the building Thursday morning and found 20 bodies lying on on the staircase leading to the roof exit. Another team found 11 bodies on the second floor of the building and two on the ground floor.

Police said that 74 people were inside the building, in Kyoto's Fushimi-ku district, at the time of the blaze, including employees of the company.

The fire spread so rapidly that many inside did not have time to escape, Kyoto Prefectural police told CNN. Several people jumped out of the second and third floor windows and suffered bone fractures.

The attack was the worst mass killing in the country since a 2001 arson attack on a building in Tokyo's Kabukicho district, which killed 44 people. The death toll from Thursday's fire was greater than the Tokyo sarin gas attack on a subway in 1995, which killed 13.

Anime fans and mourners Friday began visiting the building and laid flowers in tribute to those who had lost their lives.

"I was so encouraged by the KyoAni works," said one young fan, calling the studio by its popular name. "I have no words to say in sorrow."

On Thursday, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe added his voice to the outpouring of grief on Twitter, saying that he was left speechless at the "gruesomeness of the crime," and offered condolences to victims.

Explosion-like sound

The fire started at Kyoto Animation's 1st Studio at 10:30 a.m. local time on Thursday (9:30 p.m. ET) after a 41-year-old suspect began pouring what appeared to be gasoline on the first floor of the studio before setting it alight.

Police said a local resident reported hearing an explosion-like sound coming from the building around the time the fire broke out.

A witness told police the suspect shouted "Die!" as he spilled the unidentified liquid. A backpack containing several knives and two canisters of the gasoline-like liquid were discovered near the site, according to Kyoto police.

As flames tore through the building an employee ran to report the fire. On his return, he saw the suspect lying on the ground about 100 meters away from the studio, police told CNN.

The suspect, who suffered heavy burns to his face, legs, arms and torso, asked officers who had arrived to apprehend him "are you going to arrest me?"

An eyewitness told CNN affiliate TV Asahi that the suspect told officers, "They plagiarized."

Police have cautioned that they need to wait until the suspect is formally interviewed before confirming a motive. Officers were not able to question the suspect on Thursday as he was receiving treatment for severe burns sustained during the attack.

Footage from the scene Thursday showed thick smoke billowing out of the four-story building, which is located in a residential area several kilometers south of Kyoto Station. It took four hours for firefighters to bring the blaze under control.

Fire department officials confirmed that the building abided by fire prevention regulations.

'A terrible loss for both humanity and art'

Kyoto Animation's CEO Hideaki Yata told reporters the company had received death threats by mail, which had been sent to the police, and expressed sorrow that workers in the industry had been targeted.

"They are the people who carry the Japan's animation industry on their shoulders. I can't bear to accept the fact they are being hurt or losing their lives," he said.

Founded in 1981, Kyoto Animation -- known as KyoAni -- has made a name for itself producing high quality animations that draw on both the mystical and the mundane.

Among Japan's better-known studios, its popular works include "Free!," manga series "K-On!," the anime TV adaptation of "the Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya" and "Violet Evergarden," which Netflix picked up in 2018.

On its website, the company said its philosophy included promoting a "humanitarian" corporate culture and "promoting the growth of people."

Writing for CNN, Susan Napier, Goldthwaite Professor of Rhetoric and Japanese Studies at Tufts University, said KyoAni had "developed a reputation for being a unique workplace" by employing writers on a salaried basis and "offering the money and security that allowed them to create works of high quality."

The studio also operated a school for animators.

Napier said the destruction was "a significant loss, both in terms of the terrific tragedy of human life and the lost creative work that may have been stored in the studio over its almost 40-year existence."

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2019-07-19 07:08:00Z
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