May 26, 2023

Kyoto Animation to erect two memorials for arson victims in 2019

This July marks four years since an arson attack claimed the lives of 36 employees and injured 32 others at Kyoto Animation Studio 1.

Today, the company outlined plans to erect two memorials to the victims of the attack.

In 2019, studio president Yoshiaki Hatta first suggested that the company wanted to build a memorial on the site where Studio 1 once stood. However, his plan was not accepted by the studio's neighbors. Prior to the fire, Studio 1 was the largest building in a quiet small town on the outskirts of Kyoto, and many of the neighbors feared that building a public memorial would bring in tourists and drastically change the area.

Now, instead of building on the site of Studio 1, Kyoto Animation plans to place the first monument near its headquarters in Uji City, one train stop from where Studio 1 stood.

The first memorial is scheduled to be completed by July 18, 2024, the fifth anniversary of the anniversary. The memorial will be placed in an open space in the park at the headquarters and will be easily accessible to those wishing to offer their condolences.

A second memorial is planned for the site where Studio 1 was located, but this will be a private memorial located in Kyoto Animation's new building and will not be open to the public.