An arson attack on the Kyoto Animation company on Thursday morning has injured several dozen people and killed at least one.
Emergency services in Kyoto City received a call around 10.35 a.m. local time reporting an explosion on the first floor. The blaze quickly spread across the whole of the three story building.
According to local media, a man was seen inside the building spraying a flammable liquid, shouting “die!” and then igniting the liquid. He is believed to have been injured and is now in police custody.
Police confirmed the death of one person along with ten seriously injured, a further 10 moderately injured and 18 lightly hurt. The police have not released any details of the dead person. Other local media including NHK have announced multiple deaths, citing local police and describing many people as being found unconscious. The Kyodo news agency has reported 10 deaths.
Kyoto Animation has been in operation since 1981, and is known as producer of high quality animation. These include TV series “The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya” and “K-On!”. The studio’s series adaptation of the “Tsurune” novel, written by Kotoko Ayano, recently completed airing on public broadcaster NHK.
Japan is used to natural disasters, with both earthquakes and tsunami waves regular occurrences. But terrorism and extreme violence is extremely rare. The Sarin gas attack on the Tokyo Metro in 1995 by members of the Aum Shinrikyo movement, is one of the biggest in recent history. It killed 12 people at the time.