Man sentenced to death for arson attack at anime studio that killed 36

Police officers gather outside the Kyoto District Court in Kyoto, western Japan ahead of the sentencing hearing for Shinji Aoba (Miki Matsuzaki/Kyodo News/AP)

A Japanese court sentenced a man to death after finding him guilty of murder and other crimes for carrying out a shocking arson attack on an anime studio in Kyoto, Japan, that killed 36 people.

The Kyoto district court said it found the defendant, Shinji Aoba, mentally capable to face punishment for the crimes and announced his capital punishment after a recess in a two-part session on Thursday.