Kyoto – A memorial service was held on Saturday for the victims of a deadly arson attack at Kyoto Animation’s No. 1 studio in Kyoto seven years ago.
On July 18, 2019, the studio was set on fire, leaving 36 of those who were inside dead and 32 injured. The anime production company, known among anime fans as KyoAni, has hosted an annual private memorial service at the site of the tragedy.
This year’s ceremony, which began around 10:35 a.m., was attended by about 140 people, including bereaved families, President Shinichiro Hatta and company employees. Participants offered silent prayers and flowers for the victims.
“Even if your names disappear from the end credits, we will meet you again in the works through your skills, passion and dedication passed on to us,” a representative of the bereaved families said.
An employee who joined the company after the incident said: “I wish I could have seen with my own eyes and felt how all of you dedicated yourselves to your work. I hope you’ll watch over us as we sincerely work on creating great works.”
Shinichiro Hatta, the first son of the late president Hideaki, said in a statement, “We’ll keep moving forward with sincerity while cherishing and preserving the philosophy and approach to production established by our predecessors.” His father, who had been serving as president since the company’s 1985 establishment, died at 76 in February this year.
Since 2022, the company has held 25 meetings with bereaved families regarding a plan to build a monument at the site.
Although the plan has yet to be started, partly due to rising construction costs, the company said that it hopes to install the monument as soon as possible, based on an appropriate judgment.
