Japan Passes Law to Prevent Future Attacks Like Kyoto Animation Arson

Back in July, the anime community was left reeling after news surfaced of a terrible tragedy. Kyoto Animation was targeted by an arsonist whose attack left 36 dead. With many more injured, the event has become one of Japan‘s deadliest since World War II, and a new report reveals how lawmakers are trying to prevent such an attack from ever happening again.

As shared by Sora News, lawmakers in Japan have passed new legislation which will require stricter checks when selling large amounts of gasoline. For those unaware, the suspect behind the arson attack was caught on security footage filling two 20-liter gas tanks at a local station. From there, the man took the portable tanks to the Kyoto Animation studio by cart before pouring the accelerant around the building.

In order to prevent further arson threats, Japanese lawmakers passed stricter regulations on gasoline bulk sales to deter attacks. The Fire and Disaster Management Agency plans to enact a new law which will require customers to show their ID to cashiers if they wish to buy gasoline for portable tanks. If you want to fill up your car, it will be business as usual, but anyone buying in bulk will have to show full identification and share their reasoning for getting gas.

Shortly after Kyoto Animation was targeted, similar rules to these were proposed by the Kyoto authorities. Many gas stations were asked to follow the rules but it was not legally enforced. Now, it seems the guideline will become law before long. As of right now, the law is slated to go into effect in February 2020.

As for the victims of the Kyoto Animation attack, the death toll was raised to 36 not long ago when an employee passed away at the hospital. When the fire took place, there were a total of 70 workers inside, so more than half of those employees were killed in the attack. Those employees who escaped have since returned to work but at their own pace. Kyoto Animation has cancelled a slew of fan-events in the arson’s wake as the company comes to terms with its horrific loss.