A brother of one of the victims of the Kyoto Animation arson attack seven years ago has created a letter-writing set out of his regret that he was unable to say thank you to his sister.
Isamu Watanabe, 47, produced the set at his own expense last year and is distributing it for free, as he does not want anybody else to share his feeling of regret.
The set includes an envelope similar in size to a postcard alongside a message of his regret: “I wanted to express my gratitude more. I wanted to be with you more. But I can’t do that any more.”
The arson on the Japanese animation powerhouse’s No. 1 studio in the city of Kyoto on July 18, 2019, killed a total of 36 people inside the building, including Watanabe’s younger sister, Mikiko, then 35, and injured 32 others. Shinji Aoba, the 48-year-old defendant in the attack on Kyoto Animation, better known as KyoAni, has been sentenced to death.
“Sometimes, we can’t say ’thank you’ (to people around us) because they are too close to us,” Watanabe said. “But it’s not natural for people with close relations to be always with us,” he continued, calling on people to express their gratitude to those close to them, including family members, friends and work colleagues.
Watanabe also believes that connection with others will help prevent isolation.
He noted that Aoba, who received care from prison staff after suffering serious burns himself in the arson, said during his trial, “I think I would not have committed the crime if I had been in such an environment.”
Watanabe said, “Something might have changed if (Aoba) had an opportunity to recognize connection with people around him.”
Watanabe is distributing the letter-writing set at lectures he holds with his mother, Tatsuko, 76, over the incident.
“I think my sister hates most to see people talk about grudges,” Watanabe said. “I would be happy if people have more opportunities to realize that there are others who care about them.”
Tatsuko said, “It would be meaningful if I hand out the letter writing set to 100 people and if even one of them uses it.”
