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NEWS: Fire Department: 33 People Confirmed Dead in Kyoto Animation Fire (Updated)

Why would anyone burn down an animation studio? That´s the part that gets me.

This is too much for fire safety planning to work as we hoped. They may be prepared for random fire accidents, but in this peaceful country, no one would expect a planned attack by an insane man directing at people's lives.

We should also focus on mental health issues. It is clear that man has lost the ability to reason. In this country people grow up in schools under intense bullying, go to work painfully long hours and are expected to devote their entire lives for their company in an office room. Seeing high suicide rates and high profile killings are proof of how Japan lacks focus on mental illnesses. I have been working in a Japanese company before, and now I am so glad to stay away from the Japanese work culture. It is the one and only reason which keeps me away from Japan.

Romanov wrote:

This is too much for fire safety planning to work as we hoped. They may be prepared for random fire accidents, but in this peaceful country, no one would expect a planned attack by an insane man directing at people's lives. We should also focus on mental health issues. It is clear that man has lost the ability to reason. In this country people grow up in schools under intense bullying, go to work painfully long hours and are expected to devote their entire lives for their company in an office room. Seeing high suicide rates and high profile killings are proof of how Japan lacks focus on mental illnesses. I have been working in a Japanese company before, and now I am so glad to stay away from the Japanese work culture. It is the one and only reason which keeps me away from Japan.

Thank you for posting this comment. As we have both worked and lived in Japan for quite some time I guess (I still live there actually, but maybe not for long), it is easy for us to understand why and how somebody exposed to this culture from a young age could do this kind of thing, but it may be very difficult for people not living here to understand it. Mental health issues - as well as sleep-deprivation, bullying, stress, overwork, lack of intimacy etc..., all factors that aggravate mental issues - are very strong concerns to me as I observe Japanese people and their society every day, but as we both know, Japan always tends to put problems under the rug until it is too late. The man responsible for the fire will be prosecuted and get the death penalty, but it will be deemed as a case of another crazy person killing people senselessly, and the Japanese public/Government/society will never take the first step of realizing that Japan's school and work cultures are extremely deficient and lead to the rejection by the system of anybody that is slightly different from the norm and insane pressure for those inside the system. From my point of view, Japan needs to change and improve as a country - like every society and people need to improve and develop, but unfortunately, I don't sense any will by Japanese people to do that, only resignation at best. That is why, like you, I stay the furthest away from Japanese companies (the latest company I worked for in Japan was an international company with a mainly international management style) and why I am actively seeking a way out at the moment.

What I'd like to learn is if the building/company had, and practised, fire drills on a regular basis.

As for the attacker, I hope he gets the death penalty. There is no excuse for what he did.

As for the attacker, I hope he gets the death penalty. There is no excuse for what he did.

Excellent coverage from CBC News tonight, probably the only North American newscast that went in-depth on this subject.

https://youtu.be/DPgDQr-j9dI