A high court in western Japan says a man sentenced to death for setting fire to an animation studio six years ago, killing 36 people, has withdrawn his appeal. His death penalty is now finalized.

Aoba Shinji, now 46, was charged with setting fire to the Kyoto Animation studio in Kyoto City in July 2019, killing 36 workers and injuring 32.

In January last year, the Kyoto District Court handed down the death sentence, saying Aoba was capable of judging wrong from right and should take responsibility.

Aoba appealed the ruling, claiming he had something to say about a psychiatric assessment that everything he said was based on delusions.

But the Osaka High Court revealed on Tuesday that Aoba himself withdrew his appeal the previous day.