Shinji Aoba (Japanese: 青葉 真司, Hepburn: Aoba Shinji) (b. 1977-1978), is a 41-year-old Japanese novelist and convicted arsonist responsible for the arson attacks of Kyoto Animation's Studio 1 building at 18 July 2019, around 10:31 a.m. JST. He was identified as the suspect by police and a warrant was quickly issued for his arrest. Aoba was then taken to hospital with severe burns to the legs, chest, and face. During his transport to the hospital, he admitted to having started the fire, possibly for revenge, accusing the studio of "ripping off" or "plagiarising" (Japanese: パクリ やがって, Hepburn: pakuri yagatte) his novels. On 27 May 2020, Aoba was judged to have sufficiently recovered from his burn injuries, and he was formally arrested on suspicion of murder and other charges. Aoba had a prior criminal history and suffered from a mental illness. In 2012, he robbed a convenience store with a knife in Ibaraki and was subsequently jailed for three-and-a-half years.