July 18 marked the third anniversary of the arson-murder attack at Kyoto Animation's No.1 Studio, Fushimi Ward, Kyoto, which killed 36 people. After the memorial service held by the company on the studio's former site, President Hideaki Hatta expressed his grief, saying, "No matter how many years have passed, my feelings have not changed in the slightest."

The memorial service began at 10:30 a.m., the time the incident occurred, and was attended by approximately 120 people, including company staff and the bereaved families, who prayed for the victims' repose.

Following the ceremony, President Hatta spoke to the press and said, "I apologized to the bereaved for not being able to protect everyone." He continued, "It is important for us to keep on creating works. That is how we can fulfill the wishes of the 36 victims."

In regards to Shinji Aoba, 44, who has been charged with murder and other crimes, he angrily said, "I don't want to hear anything from him. I cannot even mention his name."

The attack took place on July 18, 2019. Kyoto Animation's No.1 Studio, Fushimi Ward, Kyoto was set on fire. A total of roughly 690 square meters of the three-story building was burned down. Thirty-six employees were killed and 32 others suffered various degrees of injuries.

In May 2020, the Kyoto Prefectural Police arrested Aoba, who himself had been hospitalized with serious burns, on suspicions of homicide and other offenses for having ignited gasoline that he sprayed around the studio. The Kyoto District Public Prosecutors Office indicted him in December of the same year. The date of his first trial has not yet been set.