A man carries a bouquet of flowers as he prays for victims in front of the torched Kyoto Animation building in Kyoto, Japan. (Photo from Kim Kyung-Hoon / REUTERS)

Kyoto Animation has announced on Wednesday that they had opened a bank account to accept donations, which they plan to be a fund for the families of the victims of the arson attack last Thursday.

The company also plans to use some of the fund for their rebuilding, although details has yet to be revealed.

Kyoto Animation President Hideaki Hatta recently stated that they are considering plans to demolish their first studio building, which would then be replaced by a public park with a memorial for the victims of the attack.

 

To those who wish to donate directly to the animation studio, you may use the following information:

BANK NAME: THE KYOTO SHINKIN BANK
SWIFT: KYSBJPJZ
BRANCH NAME: MINAMI MOMOYAMA BRANCH
BRANCH NUMBER: 048
ADDRESS: 16-50, YOSAI, MOMOYAMA-CHO, HUSHIMI-KU, KYOTO-SHI, KYOTO-HU, 612-8016, JAPAN
ACCOUNT NUMBER: 0002890
ACCOUNT HOLDER: KYOTO ANIMATION CO.,LTD., REPRESENTATIVE DIRECTOR, HATTA HIDEAKI

DISCLAIMER: Please note that international wire transfer may include additional fees, including service fee. Please check with your bank for full details.

 

The studio aims to be fully transparent on the funds received on the bank account, but details would be revealed at a later time.

The company also plans to post information regarding authorized fund-raising activities on behalf of the anime studio on their website.

 

Kyoto Animation’s first studio building, located in Uji City in Kyoto Prefecture, was engulfed in flames on Thursday, July 18, at 10:30am local time (09:30am PHT) which taken the lives of 34 people and severely injured 34 more. Local police said that there are about 74 people inside the building when the fire started.

A 41-year-old man has been apprehended by the police and identified by witnesses as the suspect, who threw gasoline inside the building and shouted “Die!” before setting the building on fire.

The authorities say that the suspect claims his worked is being “plagarized” by the animation studio, but they did not find a connection between the supect and the company.

Japanese public broadcaster NHK reported that, according to investigative sources, the suspect was previously arrested in 2012 for armed robbery at a convenience store and he was sentenced to three years and six months in jail.

The suspect was not formally arrested as of press time because he was being treated in a hospital for serious burn injuries, but the authorities are saying that he had admitted to the crime.

 

Additional Information from Anime News Network