So it might seem kind of strange that Shinji Aoba, the man who carried out the horrific arson attack on Kyoto Animation in the summer of 2019, still hasn’t been tried.
Among the many things Japan is known for, a lenient criminal justice system isn’t one of them.
A year and a half after the attack that killed 36 people, mental health questions are no longer a road block to trial.
On Wednesday, the Kyoto District Public Prosecutor’s Office released the results of a six-month psychological assessment, meant to determine if Aoba can be held criminally culpable for his actions.